Between a Mother and Son
by MonMonCandie
Summary: A relationship that was never forged. If it had survived, what would the bond be like...between the boy and the mother he never got to know? An AU series of one-shots. Alternating perspectives between Squall and Raine.
1. Talk to Me

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hi! This is my first story that I've ever written for a fandom and I'm very excited! This is just a one-shot that came up in my head. I always wondered what Raine and Squall's relationship would've been like as a family. So this drabble is basically AU-ish and Raine-centric. I wanted to try writing from Raine's perspective on things. I might expand on more one-shots of the same focus, but we'll see.

So! Hopefully you'll like it! And please review so I know you like the story or tell me where I can improve. Sorry if it's long. I'm not much of a writer and can't control my word count. :3

P.S.: Squall is probably around 13-14 when I thought about this. And yes, he did meet Rinoa early in his life. :D

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII and its characters.

* * *

**Talk to Me**

She didn't understand it. She just didn't understand it at all. Why was it that when you raise a child, they hit an age where they just didn't say much to you anymore?

Raine let out a defeated sigh as she stared at nothing in particular; sitting down at the kitchen counter with elbows upon it while resting her head in her hands. Nothing was able to distract her from that burning question in her mind. She had been thinking about a lot of things in the past few days, many of which consisted of her son.

Ah yes… Squall. He had been both a joy and a great pain to Raine for as long as she can remember holding him as a baby. He never spoke out of disrespect and never hurt those who were weaker than himself. Squall was reserved, yes, but he didn't mind the company of those he trusted. He had trouble communicating with others, but Squall always found a way to get his point across to them. He was never forceful in stating his opinions, but once in a while, his stubborn nature would kick in whenever something he found interesting was the topic of focus. Squall was passionate about what he liked and every once in a while he would give out a smile that fit his boyish features. So innocent was the child that grew into humble, yet honest young boy.

…At least that's what she used to believe.

Squall, being the quiet boy he was, liked keeping things to himself. Raine didn't mind. She understood the value of having one's own privacy. But lately she felt as if Squall has been indulging himself in his own solitude for far too long; especially now.

Raine had recently found out that Squall had gotten into a fight with another boy at school. When she and her husband, Laguna, had been called down to discuss the matter with Squall's homeroom teacher, Raine was shocked to find that Squall gave the first punch. She couldn't believe that her son would initiate a fight of any sort. Luckily, Squall and the other boy, Seifer, were only given a one week's detention, but it didn't ease Raine's thoughts.

When they arrived home, Squall refused to explain his behavior with either of his parents. There was a lot of arguing involved that day which ended with frustration on both parties. During the first day of detention, Squall avoided any conversations with his parents. He went to school, came home, and locked himself in his room. Laguna said that he would calm down within the next few days. As much as Raine believed what he said, Squall never let up. He was being stubborn. If he found himself caught in a discussion, he nodded at most or gave out one-word answers then walked away. If he was getting scolded, he'd rolled his eyes and mutter a "whatever" under his breath. It drove Raine mad and she found herself being as stubborn as well. They played the "silent game" whenever they were in each other's presence and it became increasingly difficult for either Laguna or Ellone to find a way to get them to surrender their little 'war.'

It carried on until now, on the last day of Squall's detention. With Laguna at work, the kids at school, and nothing to do, Raine was given the chance to reflect on her actions of the last seven days. She began to realize that maybe avoiding the issue with Squall wasn't the best choice of action, feeling guilty for not understanding her son's position. Maybe she should have approached him when he was ready to talk. Maybe she should've given him the benefit of the doubt that some external force caused him to jump the gun like that.

Raine shook her head and sighed again. She didn't like not understanding Squall. In fact, she felt it was her sole duty to be able to understand her children. At the ripe age of adolescence, Squall was bound to get into a few fights here and there. She had to show Squall that she was there as a support outlet, as a mother. But with Squall's growing detachment, it was getting tricky for the worried mother to find common ground with her son anymore.

Ellone hadn't been this difficult growing up, so why was Squall any different?

"This is probably the first in a long time I've seen you lost in the clouds," commented a familiar voice with a teasing tone.

Raine snapped out of her thoughts to look to where the voice came from. She saw Laguna peering at her with his infamous smile as he leaned on the entrance of the kitchen. She gave a small smile in return and got up from her seat to where her husband was. She gave him a quick kiss before saying, "You're home early."

While scratching the back of his head, Laguna replied, "Well, the office wasn't busy today so I left early. I'm sure Kiros and Ward have everything under control while I'm gone."

Raine raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms, "Is that right? So you left without saying anything. Again?"

Laguna winced a little at Raine's scrutinization, "Well…I wouldn't put it that way…I left a note at my desk. I trust that they can get by without me."

Raine rolled her eyes. Typical Laguna. President of his own company, yet still not able to grasp the concepts of "work" and "responsibility." Laguna didn't leave work all the time, but he rarely had a good excuse to do so otherwise. Although an adult, Laguna had times when he acted like a kid. Work being one of the many factors that caused him to act like one. He was an idiot, but he was her idiot.

She shook her head, but a smile graced her face when she looked at Laguna. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked.

"Love me 'til we can forget about what happened?" Laguna answered hopefully, palms placed together in a pleading nature.

"Nice try mister," Raine giggled a little, "But that's be the _easy_ way out." She walked away from Laguna to the fridge while she heard Laguna give a mock tone of being hurt from her words. Raine giggled. When she opened the fridge, she asked, "Is there anything you want? I haven't made dinner yet."

Laguna shook his head as he sat himself down at the table. He stretched his arms to the ceiling replying, "Nah, I'm good. But I'd rather hear about your day. How are ya, Raine?"

Raine sighed as she closed the fridge, "Okay I suppose…"

"Doing a lot of thinking?"

"With nothing else to do, I wasn't left with many options."

"Is it about Squall?"

Raine went silent. She looked away from Laguna as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. It was Laguna's turn to sigh when she didn't say anything after a while. He got up from his chair and walked towards Raine.

Placing his hands gentle on her shoulders, he consoled with a gentle voice, "Don't worry about it. He'll come around. You know him."

Raine looked up at him then, worry in her deep blue eyes, "Do I? What if he doesn't speak about his problems with either of us anymore? I feel like I'm beginning to lose him, Laguna."

"He's just at that stage in his life where he wants to figure out things for himself. Remember Raine: that boy has a lot of pride," Laguna assured while smiling a little. Indeed, Squall had a lot of pride; like his mother.

Raine smiled back, "I… guess. I just feel like I should talk to him. Apologize maybe."

"I bet he feels the same way," Laguna chuckled, knowing very well that Raine shared a deep maternal bond with Squall. "He got most of your temperament; especially your stubbornness!" Laguna grinned teasingly.

She playfully slapped him on the chest, "Oh you! I'm not that stubborn!" Laguna and Raine burst into small laughter after that. They both heard a door opening and looked to where the sound was coming from. Immediately they knew who it was.

"We're home!" shouted Ellone, the shuffling of shoes taken off being heard from the kitchen.

Laguna looked back at Raine, "Well, maybe you can try talking to him later?"

Raine paused for a moment, then looked at Laguna and nodded with a smile.

Yes, she would talk with her son later today.

*

*

*

After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms while Raine made her when to the living room. She began picking up discarded jackets and rearranged the couch cushions that her loving family made a mess of. As much as she loved them, a scolding was in order for not cleaning up after making a mess. Raine then turned her attention to the coffee table to rid the surface of messy books, magazines, and things that shouldn't be on the table. As the table surface started looking neater, Raine noticed a tiny box with a note attached to it lying beside some of Squall's textbooks on the table.

_Something of Squall's? _she thought curiously. She stared at it a moment longer before grabbing the note and reading it. It read:

_Thanks for being there Squall._

_You didn't have to do anything, but I'm glad you were there!_

_~ Rinoa_

_P.S. I still feel bad about getting you in detention, so next time let's go for ice cream!_

Raine read the note a few times more before the confusion set in. Who was Rinoa? And how exactly was she responsible for Squall's detention? She heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs stopping abruptly. Her head snapped up to meet Squall's eyes. Wide, surprised eyes that is…

"Uh…" was the intelligent response that came from her mouth. Squall quickly looked to the floor as he made his way down the stairs silently, making a beeline for his textbooks. He gathered the books and the tiny box in his arms. Then as quickly as he snatched the note from his mother's hands, Squall made haste to leave.

Before he could get away however, Raine quickly blurted out, "I'm sorry!" Squall stopped and slightly turned his head to look at his mother behind his brown bangs. He could see that she was sincerely apologizing. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to look. I just…" Raine mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers that she found interesting at the moment.

Raine knew that looking at the note fell under the category of "invasion of privacy," but she couldn't help the feeling of curiosity overwhelm her. Especially since she hasn't talked to Squall for a while. Still, she knew it was wrong and it was definitely the wrong way of getting Squall to talk to her. If anything, it probably made him void of talking with Raine forever. Awkward silence filled the room. Oh how Raine wished that Laguna would come in and ask for something ridiculous right now.

"… It's fine…" he finally spoke in a whisper. Raine's ears perked up from hearing his voice. It's been so long since she's heard him say anything to her that it made her heart fill with joy. She looked at Squall, whose body was facing hers, but his eyes remained on the floor. She beamed a little bit.

"Come," she spoke softly as she touched Squall's arm with her hand, "I…want to talk to you." She made a gesture that said 'let's sit on the couch.' Squall nodded and followed his mother. They made their way to the couch and Squall replaced his textbooks on the coffee table. Raine was still uncomfortable with the situation after sitting down with Squall, but she needed to get through this. She probably wouldn't get an opportunity like this anytime soon.

"I want to apologize about my behavior for the past week. It was immature of me to… ignore you like that," Raine began. She thought by defusing the tension this way, they would both be able to talk without any awkwardness. Plus, she wanted to apologize for what she thought was 'bad mothering.' When Squall didn't say anything, she continued, "I know that you want to take care of business by yourself, but Squall, you need to understand that your father and I worry about you. I just wanted to understand why the situation turned out like that. It's unlike you, I know, to act in that manner. You must've had a reason for punching Seifer. But even if it was a good reason, I just think you could've handled it with a little more restrain. Do you…understand what I'm saying?"

Squall contemplated on what his mother said. He nodded slightly, shyly looking at his mother. Seeing the opportunity, Raine smiled at him, "You're a good kid Squall. I'm not mad, just confused. But I understand if you don't want to explain it right now. I can wait until you're ready to talk."

Raine squeezed one of Squall's hands before getting up to leave. As she made her way around the couch to leave the living room, she heard Squall mutter quiet words.

"Did you say something?" she asked making sure she wasn't just hearing things.

"…He was picking on her…Seifer…" Squall said, albeit his back was to her. He spoke in a tone that was unsure with a hint of…embarrassment? Raine realized Squall was explaining the events leading up to the fight. She stayed quiet and listened silently, afraid that making a sound could stop Squall from talking.

"Seifer was picking on Rinoa. Something about breaking up? I dunno… People said they were going out. He grabbed her a little too hard and started saying…things about her. I don't know what came over me then, but I didn't like the way he was treating her… So I punched him."

Raine slowly asked finally understanding the purpose of the handwritten note, "And so this Rinoa, she…felt bad about getting you in trouble?"

She saw Squall shrug, "I don't know why. She didn't do anything since it was my choice, yet she wanted to make it up to me. I didn't really care but she was really annoying about it, so I humored her. Rinoa was…I dunno. She confuses me. She hangs around me, doesn't leave me alone…I don't know what to think of her. But she's…"

Squall couldn't get words out anymore. Raine saw how he was struggling to explain anything further, but she knew Squall was never good at explaining things on the spot; which is what he probably felt now.

Raine started adding everything together turning away from her son. Squall saw Seifer harassing this Rinoa person and decided to help; although it was the wrong way of doing so. Rinoa, feeling bad about getting Squall into trouble, decided to try and make Squall happy in a way. It was cute when Raine thought about it. Rinoa probably liked Squall. A lot if she was constantly trying to 'make it up to him.' Raine smiled to herself in conclusion. And then it hit her when she looked at Squall again. Although his back was to her, Raine could faintly see Squall's ears were red. He was blushing! And all because of this Rinoa! Raine's smile exploded into a grin as she came to the ultimate conclusion: Squall also happened to like this girl, but doesn't want to admit it or he hasn't realized it…yet.

Chuckling to herself, which her son failed to notice, Raine let out a contented sigh. She walked behind Squall and leaned forward on the couch. She rested one arm on the couch so she could place her head in her hand and used the other hand to lovingly ruffle Squall's hair.

Confused, Squall turned his head to look at his mother with a blank expression. Raine gave a laugh while still petting him with care, "My my. Already at that age, Squall?"

"What are you talking about?" Squall questioned, feeling his cheeks flare a little under his mother's tender attention.

Raine smirked jokingly, "Oh? I just began noticing that my little Squall is really doing some growing up."

Squall, catching the hint that he was being teased, turned his head forward and crossed his arms defiantly across his chest and sank in his seat. By now, he was blushing like mad.

"Whatever," was his response.

Raine continued to smile at her son. She felt like she understood him a little bit better. Squall wasn't trying to avoid his parents at all. He was just trying to avoid the joys of embarrassment and sharing those thoughts with anyone else.

Helping a girl, then getting rewarded for his efforts _embarrassed_ him.

Maybe her intuition about Squall was right. Maybe he was a humble, honest young boy. But he was a boy who was surely starting to become a strong, loving young man.


	2. Rite of Passage

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **First off, I want to thank my reviewers, _Angel Sorano_ and _Scribbleness. _Thanks for giving me a little bit of feedback on the first posted one-shot. I love you! ^_^

Now about this: I decided that to alternate the perspective between Raine and Squall for every one-shot I post. That way, it better reflects their relationship I think. So this means its Squall's turn this time round! Again, I apologize for the length if it's too long!  
Also, know that the one-shots won't be in chronological, time dependant order. I'll be jumping from age to age as I goes (ie: Squall is 10 years old in one chapter, 15 years old in the next, then 5 years old in another, etc).

This one-shot came up when I was looking at the FFVIII image of Squall's profile. He looked so hawt with that earring, I had to think of a scenario of why he got his ear pierced. Plus, I found it funny of how Raine would've reacted to it. LOL

Happy reading! And please remember to review!

_**Quick Summary: **_Squall gets an earring when he turns 16 because of a dare…and Raine's not happy about it.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. Just this shameless series I continue to blab about. :D

* * *

**Rite of Passage**

"I can't believe you actually went through with it," Zell said walking beside Squall to his right. He was still unable to process on what just happened.

"Pfft. At least he had the guts to do it. Unlike a certain chicken-wuss we all know…" Irvine stated, obviously not impressed with his spiky-blonde friend. He was walking on Squall's left flank, "You want to get a tattoo on your face, but you refuse to get your ears pierced?"

"I ain't a chicken-wuss!" Zell protested as he tried to control his temper. He glared at the taller boy who donned a cowboy hat on his head, "Besides, I don't exactly want a piece of metal inserted anywhere on my body!"

"They're gonna stick a needle in you when you get a tattoo anyways."

"That's different!"

"Yeah. Okay, Zell."

"Shut up!"

Squall wasn't paying much attention to his friends as they walked down the busiest district in Deling City to get to Irvine's place. People were everywhere tonight: shopping, going to fancy restaurants, or chatting it up with friends on the street. It was quite different from Balamb's calm atmosphere.

During the week of Squall's upcoming 16th birthday, the brunette was hanging out with his current companions. His cowboy-esque friend suggested vacationing in Galbadia to celebrate Squall's birthday in style; guys only. Both Squall and Zell rolled their eyes as they knew it was only an excuse for Irvine to party with high society females. Still, Squall couldn't pass up a chance to visit another country. The stories of his dad's old travelling days piqued his curiosity to do so.

They arranged for everything ahead of time. Irvine had said they could crash at his father's house and he volunteered to get the train tickets. How he had gotten the tickets was anyone's guess. All Irvine did was slyly grin saying, "I've got my resources." They would stay in Deling City for a three-day weekend.

When Squall had asked his parents for permission to go, Raine was a little reluctant at first but agreed. After all, who was she to stop him when he could perfectly take care of himself? It would be his first trip out of the country without his parents, but Raine had faith in her son. All she had asked of Squall was that he stay out of trouble. Squall agreed, knowing he wouldn't want to cause trouble anyways.

When the boys got to Deling City, they spent most of their first day venturing the city. It amazed both Squall and Zell that so many people could gather in a single spot. Irvine had told them that it was common; especially since tourists made up the majority of the crowds. When they got to Irvine's house, everyone was feeling the effects of the train ride and decided to take the rest of the day off.

On the second day however, Irvine decided it was as good any other to party it up. Irvine's Galbadian friends were hosting a party "coincidentally" on Squall's birthday. Irvine let the news break out at the party, and soon everyone was celebrating Squall's birthday. Though he wasn't much of a party person, Squall enjoyed himself. Irvine was busy chatting with a few of the girls and Zell busied himself with the party food. Galbadian hot dogs, he concluded, were simply "high quality." Squall was caught in a few conversations, but he didn't let it bother him as much since it was his birthday. The only thing that bothered him was when he was asked to dance. He was able to avoid it, so it was time-well wasted.

He also remembered to call home that day. Ellone sang 'Happy Birthday' over on the phone alongside Laguna, albeit off-key. Raine was laughing in the background saying how horrible they sounded. When she got a chance to speak with Squall alone, she performed the 'mother routine' to which Squall replied that everything was fine. They said good night after that.

On the last day of their little vacation, Zell wanted to go to the shopping district and buy souvenirs for everyone back in Balamb. Squall thought it was a good idea. He'd buy small souvenirs for the family: bracelets for Ellone and Raine, and a keychain for Laguna. They weren't much, but Squall doubted he could've bought anything extravagant.

When it started getting late, Irvine came up with a brilliant, yet devious idea. As a way to commemorate Squall's turning sixteen in Galbadia, Irvine dared Zell to get a body piercing; definitely a souvenir to remember! Zell downright refused, saying he was saving Gil to get a tattoo. Irvine taunted Zell saying he was too chicken to do it and Zell exploded saying Squall should be dared to get his body pierced, not him.

Irvine brushed it off saying, "Squall's the birthday boy. He doesn't have to subjugate himself to getting a body piercing." Squall, like any other person, took that statement with indirect offense. If he thinks Irvine was going to get away with calling_ him_ a chicken, he had another thing coming.

"I'll do it," was all he said. Irvine and Zell, surprised their quiet friend spoke up, were dumbfounded. Irvine tried to talk Squall out of it, saying he was joking, but Squall was too stubborn to back down. He wasn't going to run away when faced with a challenge, even if it wasn't directed at him.

And that's how Squall ended up with a bronze stud in his left ear.

"Ya know, as much as I respect you for getting your ear pierced," Irvine eyed Squall's earring obviously bothered, "couldn't you have gotten a nicer looking earring? I mean, your choice is just so…bland."

Zell nodded in agreement, forgetting he was mad at Irvine, "It's true. The color's not very appealing."

Squall shrugged, "I didn't exactly want to pay for a more expensive stud."

"Why not? I could've lent you some Gil. It's your birthday weekend after all!" Irvine replied, his voice suggested that he was in shock, guilt, or maybe both.

"No need to do something like that," Squall assured in a bored tone as he mentally added, _especially since I'll be getting hell for it when we get back to Balamb…_

Squall inwardly cringed at the thought as the trio made their way back to Irvine's house. He could only hope that when they were on the train in the morning that he had come up with a plan.

*

*

The train ride home was shorter than what Squall expected. He felt like he didn't have enough time to formulate a decent plan to avoid the dangers he was about to face. Hyne must be punishing him. All three boys grabbed their bags and got off the train and onto the train platform.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around Squall," Zell waved while Irvine tipped his hat. Squall gave a curt nod and waved weakly at the pair. They both left the train platform at the same time; Irvine most likely getting a ride since they lived in the same direction. Ma Dincht was probably already waiting at the station entrance for them. Squall stood there on the platform a while longer before deciding it was time to face the music.

As he descended the stairs of the station entrance, he could see Laguna waiting for him by the car. Taking in a deep breath then releasing it, Squall moved towards him. When he got there, his father put an arm around Squall for a would-be hug then moved back, "Welcome back!"

"Yeah, I'm home," Squall replied weakly, unable to actually look Laguna in the eye. They gathered Squall's belonging and packed it in the trunk of the car. As they drove away, Squall looked out the window sitting lazily as he thought about his dilemma. He almost didn't hear Laguna speak.

"So how was it? Did you have fun?" Laguna began asking. The silence was starting to feel uncomfortable.

Squall looked forward as he replied, "It was okay. Irvine introduced us to some of his friends."

"Oh really?" Laguna inquired, grateful that his son was taking the hint. They continued with a little bit of small talk until they got home.

As they exited the car and Squall began to gather his bags, Laguna called from the other end of the car, "Oh yeah! Don't worry about your mother, Squall. She'll get over that…simple earring." Laguna started carrying some of the luggage towards the house whereas Squall remained frozen.

He knew. Out of all the things Laguna could've noticed, he had to notice Squall's earring first!

Squall groaned a little. If Laguna was able to notice the earring without him trying to hide it, there was no way Raine wouldn't have noticed it if he _tried _to. Although he was relieved that Laguna didn't rag him on it, Squall wasn't really concerned about his father's reaction—

"Squall!" cried a female voice.

—it was his mother's he was afraid of.

Squall was anxious to look up. He saw Raine smiling as she stood near the front door. Ellone was with her until she decided to run up to Squall. She gave him a tight hug. Squall stiffened at the contact, but hugged her back when he relaxed.

"We missed you so much!" Ellone exclaimed as she backed up a little, hands still on his shoulders. She then looked confused as she whispered, "Is that an earring?" Squall dropped his head on Ellone's shoulder as he groaned again.

Wonderful; even to Ellone it was noticeable…

"What's wrong?" Raine asked with curiosity as she noticed Squall's head drop.

"Oh, nothing! Squall's just a little tired from the train ride," Ellone lied, now understanding Squall's wordless predicament.

"I see," Raine responded. She started walking inside the house saying, "Well then he'd better get inside. I'll get lunch ready."

Ellone nodded with a smile. When Raine was out of sight, Ellone looked back at Squall, "How did you end up with an earring? It's not the best looking one I've seen but…"

Squall, who didn't remove his head from her shoulder, mumbled tiredly as he ignored her last sentence, "It's a long story." He paused before peeking an eye at Ellone, "…I'm in trouble aren't I?"

Ellone winced slightly, "I think 'trouble' is an understatement…"

For the third time that day, Squall groaned.

*

*

When they got inside, Squall tried to put a subtle distance between himself and his mother. He constantly avoided standing by her right side or facing her directly, afraid that any angle he stood at would spell out his doom.

He gave out the souvenirs from Deling City later that day when everyone was relaxing in the living room. Ellone was ecstatic to get a Galbadian-made bracelet and hugged Squall as thanks. Laguna grinned as he jokingly said he'd show off his new keychain at work. Squall rolled his eyes but a tiny smile was planted on his face.

When he gave Raine her bracelet, she responded, "Thank you, Squall. You didn't have to get us anything though."

Squall shook his head, "I wanted to."

"Well I'm grateful that you were…" Raine trailed off. Squall absentmindedly looked up at his maternal parent then wished he hadn't. Raine eyes were wide with shock and her mouth was gaping.

"Is that an _earring_!?" she almost screeched, her initial shock slowly evolving to fury. Squall cursed himself. He wanted to break the ice slowly, but instead he was facing a wrath colder than Shiva's.

"It was a…birthday present?" Squall unconvincingly stated. He was having a hard time looking at his mother as she glowered at him. Ellone, who was beside him at the time, turned to Squall with a face that said, 'nice knowing you.'

"A birthday present?" Raine repeated in doubt as she crossed her arms in vexation. The look in her eyes suggested that Squall start telling the truth or else. Unfortunately, he was terrified that the next thing to come out of his mouth could end in disaster.

"So he got an earring; big deal," Laguna shrugged, coming to Squall's aid. Squall silently thanked him when Raine turned her attention to her husband instead. He would've died in another passing second of his mother's death glare. Laguna continued his statement, "I got my ear pierced when I was his age. It's like an initiation for a boy to get their ear pierced back in Galbadia. It's pretty common."

Raine rubbed her templates as she rebuked, "But we're not _in_ Galbadia! And Laguna, you got that earring when you joined the Galbadian army!"

"Hey! It's still pretty close in age!" Laguna retorted, a little hurt at the scrutiny, "Anyways! All I'm saying is that an earring isn't bad! Now if it was a tattoo—"

"Oh my Hyne! You didn't get a tattoo as well did you?" Raine's attention on Squall again, asking the question like his life depended on it.

"What? No!" Squall hastily answered. An earring was bad enough, but a tattoo? He was getting fed up with all of this. Squall stood up as fear no longer tied him down, "Look, I'm sorry. But I think I'm old enough to do whatever I want."

Raine sighed in exasperation; most of her frustration was gone by now, "You really think so? I honestly don't. You're still a kid to me, Squall."

_Still a kid…_ Squall scoffed to himself. He scowled at Raine defiantly, "I'm sixteen! I went to Deling City and did what you asked! Did I get into trouble? No. I think that says a lot about my independency."

"Hey now…" Laguna tried cutting in, but was ignored by the arguing party.

"This isn't about your independency," Raine deadpanned, equally matching Squall's glare.

"Then what _is _it? It's not like I broke any of your 'rules' while I was on that trip," Squall stubbornly exhaled as he rolled his eyes. He was getting tired of this pointless accusation.

"Squall, um…" Ellone attempted. But she too was left unheard.

"No Squall. You didn't break any 'rules' per se," Raine calmly stated. Squall dared to look at his mother, but his hardened resolve crumbled when he saw the hurt in her eyes, "You only broke the trust I had in you."

Squall didn't say anything as he was taken aback. Raine, feeling she had said enough, walked out of the room in strict silence. Ellone and Laguna exchanged knowing glances before Ellone ran after Raine while Laguna stayed with his son.

Squall stood flabbergasted. He had hurt his mother's feelings. And it was all because he betrayed her trust?

"Hey…" Laguna placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. Squall snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Laguna's apprehensive face. He turned away as he placed his face into his hands before running them through his hair.

"Looks like I messed up big time…" Squall joked weakly in a quiet, defeated voice.

Laguna shook his head reassuringly, "She'll be okay. She loves you more than anything, Squall. Remember that. She could _never _hate you. She's stubborn, but she'll get over it." He gave Squall a slight squeeze on the shoulder before leaving him to his thoughts.

Squall exhaled again. The whole thing was blown out of proportion. Squall could only hope time apart would fix things. But still, he couldn't swallow the guilt in his throat.

*

*

As Squall lied down on his bed reading a book, he heard a knock on his door. Not bothering to get up, Squall lazily called out, "It's open." He heard someone walk in, but still didn't put down what he was reading. Whoever it was could say their part without having him glance their way.

The person cleared his throat. Correction: a stern, adult female cleared her throat.

Squall peered over his book then and saw Raine standing opposite his side of the room, holding a small box. He immediately sat upright on his bed, ripping his eyes away from his mother. Silence filled the room for what seemed like eons.

He heard Raine's sigh, breaking the unwanted silence. She strolled to Squall's bed and gently sat beside him. They sat in quietness again for a moment.

"I'm sorry," both apologized at the same time when they turned to each other.

"No. I was…" they again said in sync. Raine gave a half-smile and Squall let out a low chuckle at the strange coincidence.

"Uh...you can go first," Squall offered, as he looked forward, resting his arms on his lap.

Raine nodded. She placed the box she was holding to her open side then turned to Squall. "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have overreacted downstairs," Raine sighed as she too faced forward, "Your father is right; it's just an earring. My attitude was very inappropriate and I'm sorry. …Regarding what I said about my trust—"

"You were right," Squall cut in. He found this the right opportunity to state his apology, "I wasn't thinking when I decided to get that earring. Irvine made a comment, I took it as a challenge, and…well…you know. I'm sorry... You trusted me and I went and did something stupid."

Raine giggled a little as she whispered a loud, "…Just like me." Squall glanced at his maternal parent in confusion. Raine looked to him and smiled gently.

"I was sixteen when my girl friend dared me to drink my first alcoholic beverage. Your grandfather was so mad at me when he found out. I swear our argument woke the whole neighborhood that night," she let out a reminiscing laugh. Squall thought for a moment, _Mom? Illegally drinking? No way!_ He let out a smirk that didn't go unnoticed by his mother.

"Oh stop! I was young and at the time very stupid!" Raine said defensely, trying hard to look serious but ultimately failed, "The point is: we all make mistakes. I was sixteen once, so I should've understood your situation a little more."

"Yeah; sixteen and already partying _hard,_" Squall mused. He was unable to let the image of a drunken Raine leave his head. Was it possible for her to clumsily perform the Chocobo dance under the influence?

Raine mischievously slapped him on the shoulder, "Yes. Can we grow up now?" Squall nodded, coughing to hide one last snigger. Raine turned to her side and grabbed the box she bought with her. She handed it to Squall who took it curiously.

"What is it?" he asked as he examined the box. It was rather heavy.

Raine grinned, "Why don't you open it?"

Squall shrugged as he did what was told. He lifted the top of the box and took a peek at what was inside. To his surprise, it was a thick-chained necklace with a lion head sitting on what looked like a half-cross. The lion was connected to the necklace by a branching chain. A ring, embezzled with the same lion head and cross, was included, completing the set of ornaments.

"Your grandfather gave those to me when I turned sixteen," Squall looked away from the objects to his smiling mother. She continued explaining, "It's been in our family for a long time; an heirloom passed from one Leonhart to another. Actually, it was meant to be passed to the first born son, but your grandfather ended up with me."

_That explains why it looks burly, _Squall thought to himself before commenting, "Doesn't exactly look like something a girl would wear." Raine slightly laughed in agreement.

"Your grandfather told me to keep it until I had kids of my own; preferably male he said," Raine resumed, rolling her eyes at dear old granddad, "The lion, our family emblem, is named Griever. He symbolizes the strength and pride of a Leonhart. My giving this to you is a rite of passage; recognition that you are a true Leonhart."

Squall felt a blush creeping up on his cheeks at the overwhelming thought, "That's a pretty big…initiation."

Raine shook her head, "Maybe. But in all honesty, it's just a birthday present from me to you." Squall started to blush a faint pink in embarrassment, but nodded. Raine beamed at his expression. She picked up the necklace from the box and placed it over Squall's head and around his neck. She examined her son, satisfied with the results, "It fits you perfectly."

Squall took the lion end of the necklace in his hand and gazed at it. He could feel the strength of Griever flowing within him, as silly as that sounded. He grinned slightly. Squall then uncharacteristically turned to Raine and gave her a hug. She was initially surprised, but soon returned the hug lovingly.

"…Thank you…" Squall let out shyly.

Raine smiled softly, "Happy Birthday, Squall."

They ended their embrace shortly after. Raine looked at Squall again to notice something missing, "Where's your earring?"

"I took it off," Squall said simply, "I felt guilty about wearing it when you were mad...so I took it off. I'm gonna let the hole in my ear close up."

Raine placed a hand on her chin thinking, "Really? 'Cause when I thought about it again, an earring looked pretty good on you. Well, except for the earring itself. It's kind of plain."

"Why is everyone saying that?" Squall questioned with slight annoyance. Was his choice of earring that bad? Was this why people actually noticed his ear piercing above all things?

Raine turned her head away as she giggled, "Sorry, sorry. I meant no harm! It's just…maybe a silver stud would fit you better. At least you're not like your father. I swear; that man is still wearing a hoop earring at his age…"

Squall tried hard not to laugh. Poor Laguna; his wife was making fun of his earring too.

"So…I can wear the earring?" Squall wanted to confirm. Deep down, he actually liked wearing the earring. It made him feel…badass.

Raine nodded with a grin as she began leaving his room, "Just as long as you go buy yourself a nicer looking earring. Squall Leonhart Loire deserves the best does he not?"

Squall replied smartly, "Only sometimes; when it really counts." Raine sighed happily before closing the door.

Looking at the earring on his dresser, Squall seized it and replaced it back on his ear. He looked at his reflection in the dresser mirror and smirked.

He was definitely going to look for an earring tomorrow; maybe with Irvine if he wasn't busy. Squall decided to get a platinum earring; a metal that would emulate the prestige of the Griever set and the pride of his Leonhart blood.

The leap from a common, impulsive bronze earring to a rarer, acknowledged platinum one would be his rite of passage.


	3. School is

**A/N: **Hi, me again! Sorry for the late updates! Just been really busy with school and all! Anyways, I'm glad people are reading these little episodes! The feedback I get is really encouraging! Thanks to my reviewers: _Scribbleness, Angel Sorano, _and _WickedSong_ and readers in general! You all make me very happy!

This one-shot was really thrown out there. Haha. Maybe not the best so far, but it's cute. I just hope I'm not overly cheesy with the dialogue. lol

Remember! Read and review!

_**Quick Summary: **_He was only starting school, but he didn't want to leave home. What's a mother to do?

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. Just this shameless series I continue to blab about. :D

* * *

**School is…**

Raine knew that the day Squall would attend school was coming close; and she couldn't have felt happier.

Of course Raine loved having Squall around, but she really thought it was time her only son became more aware of the outside world; starting with kindergarten. With the way Squall clung to her, Raine was worried Squall would become socially withdrawn as he grew older. School would be good for him she thought. He would make friends with children his age and hopefully become more outspoken about his feelings instead of shying away from telling anyone about them.

The mother and her two children were at the market place in Balamb buying school supplies a week before the learning facility officially opened. Squall, who only found out about his enrollment recently, asked many questions as he watched Raine pick various items:

"Who's 'school?'"

"Is that why Daddy's not home all the time? Is he at 'school?'" (Raine had to hold back a laugh at this.)

"Do I hafta go to school too?"

"What's at school?"

The questions he asked only made Squall the more innocent. He was a curious child, but he only ever acted that way in front of Raine or Ellone. The young mother could only hope he would act just as curious around others his age.

Ellone tried explaining the best she could about what school was; pride swelling as she felt so wise in front of her younger brother. As Ellone explained with simple sentences and lots of animated gestures, Squall was listening intently; his interesting peaking with everything Ellone emphasized on. Of course, Squall being Squall, had to ask what his mind deemed the most important question, "Will Mommy be going to school too?"

Raine sighed. She kneeled to level her eyes with Squall's as she gently explained, "Sweetie, mommies and daddies don't go to school; we did that when we were kids. You and Ellone will be going to school while Mommy stays at home to take care of the house from now on."

She knew Squall was surprised with the expression he showed after her answer. His innocent eyes couldn't hide the overwhelming feeling that he was to be separated from his dear Mommy. Raine felt a tinge of guilt sweep across her features. She gently placed a hand on Squall's crestfallen head and started to stroke his hair, "It's not so bad, Squall. You're only there for a short time and then you'll be coming home to give me a hug! You'll give me a big hug afterschool won't you, Squall?"

Not looking up, Squall gave a nod with an almost defeated voice, "I promise…"Raine, not wanting push the topic, gave Squall one last pet before resuming her previous actions. As they began walking home, Squall and Ellone held hands, the latter tried to share some good points about school. She knew Squall was depressed and therefore tried to cheer him up, for which Raine was thankful for.

By the time Laguna came home, Raine had told him about Squall's little crisis. Laguna chuckled a little, saying he would adjust sooner or later. Before putting Squall to bed, Laguna discussed with his son the joys school would do for him. Although Laguna mentioned things Squall didn't understand yet and went on tangents about his own school experiences, he was able to get his son smiling and laughing that night. It put Raine's heart at ease.

"I think Squall will be okay now," Laguna smiled, loosening his shirt collar to make himself more comfortable after putting the young child to sleep.

Raine smiled back as she took off her earrings in front of the vanity mirror, "That's great, Laguna. I was beginning to worry that he'd stay that way until he actually got to school."

Laguna laughed, "Just tell him funny stories of when you were in school and he'll be good to go!" He paused to think thoughtfully, "By the way, why was he so reluctant to go in the first place?"

"I told him I wouldn't be able to go to school with him. After all, he can't be with me all the time," Raine clarified, brushing her hair after removing her headband.

"Really? Well…" Laguna began playfully, snaking his arms around Raine's waist and gently placing his head on her shoulder, "I wouldn't want to be separated from you either. Being with you all the time is much better."

Raine sighed contently. Laguna wasn't much of a sweet-talker, but sometimes she missed the contact with him being at work so often. She leaned into his embrace placing her own hands a top Laguna's, "You're being very honest tonight."

Laguna's whispers tickled her ear as he purred, "Well, I felt like being honest; just for you." Raine giggled a little. She loved Laguna; she really did. But sometimes, he bought these kinds of situations on to himself.

"Well then," she mused, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything you want," Laguna replied, snuggling closer to Raine.

Raine smirked to herself. She had him where she wanted, "Well, can you tell me…"

"Go on."

"…if Julia said yes to your proposal after her piano recital?"

"Of course I— what?" Laguna's head shot up from his resting position on Raine's shoulder. He looked at his wife, blue eyes returning his gaze, "W-what?"

"I asked if you went out with Julia after her piano recital," Raine repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"How did you—"

"I overheard you telling Squall about one of your 'best experiences.'"

"Oh! Well, uh…"

By now, Laguna had removed his arms from Raine and started scratching the back of his head. He was looking all over the room to find an excuse that would satisfy, unfortunately Laguna was failing miserably. Raine meant no harm in asking. She was genuinely curious since Laguna hardly talked about his past school experiences…and girlfriends.

"Well, you see, um, Julia was…ah…Ow! Ow! Ow!" Laguna grunted as he grasped his left leg in pain. He fell backwards on the bed clutching the leg that has succumbed to his infamous leg cramps.

Raine placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes, "Fine; you don't have to tell me if you're going to be a baby about it." She turned back to the vanity to continue brushing her head.

"It's not…my fault!" Laguna winced, rolling on the bed to face her.

"Yes, yes. I know," Raine passively comforted, not bothering to meet his eyes.

Raine did love her husband. And she'd love him even more if his leg cramping wasn't heredity. Raine concluded that night, if Squall had somehow acquired his father's strange habit of pent up nervousness, Laguna was going to get an earful.

*

*

The week passed by quickly. Ellone continued to educate her little brother in the ways of 'school is good' and Squall continued to bug Raine about why he had to go to school in the first place. He even went to Laguna and asked him what place in the world didn't have school! Squall said if there was a way he could get out of going, he'd give up his favorite Moomba doll.

It was whirlwind experience for Raine. She hadn't had that big a headache since Ellone started school. Squall was acting the same way Ellone had been before. He asked all sorts of questions, bugged Raine and Laguna until he ran out of energy, and basically ran around trying to understand the logic that is school. They were the same alright, albeit Ellone looked forward to school and Squall did not. They were siblings by nature, but opposite upon outlooks.

The night before school started, Raine had compiled all the things the children would need to bring: pencils, erasers, crayons, even a tissue box for the entire class! Ellone was excited to meet with her friends once again. Raine beamed and told her that they would always be welcome to come over and play. Ecstatic, Ellone replied she'd ask them over the first chance she got. They continued to chat before the young girl started getting sleepy. After putting her adopted daughter to bed and dropping off the well-prepared school bag, Raine headed off to Squall's room.

The small boy was still playing with his toys, unaware that Raine was watching. He was so adorable pretending to command a small army of toys that were going up against the mighty Ifrit doll (although the toy itself was more cute than scary). She smiled before interrupting his fun, "Alright kiddo, time for bed!"

Squall looked disappointed, but didn't disobey Mommy. He began to put away the toys with Raine's help before crawling under the covers.

"You have a big day tomorrow, Squall. You better get some shut-eye," Raine said, making sure Squall was comfortable.

Squall looked away, mumbling, "I still don't see why I hafta go to school. Stupid school…"

"Hey now," Raine replied, keeping her tone soft, "I thought you were okay with going to school? Besides, how would you know it's stupid if you haven't been there yet?"

"Ellone's told me enough about school so I know I won't like it. And Daddy…Daddy…I don't want to go to school."

_What the heck did_ _you tell him Laguna? That the teachers were Malboros? _Raine thought as she shook her head. She sat at the edge of Squall's bed, asking gently, "Squall, what did Daddy tell you?"

"He said he made people laugh. And that he talked with lots of people."

"And why does that not want you to go to school? Don't you want to meet people too?"

"…No."

"And why not?"

"Because people are strange. I don't know how…" Squall trailed off as he continued to avoid Raine's eyes.

Raine raised an eyebrow in confusion, "How to what, Squall?"

Squall blushed embarrassingly, "I don't know how to act in front of others."

It finally hit Raine why Squall wanted to avoid school. Squall was afraid to go to school because he thought he wouldn't fit in. Squall believed he wouldn't be able to make friends _because_ he was so quiet and shy; quite the opposite from Laguna or Ellone.

_So he is aware of his personality...What a smart boy! _Raine praised, smiling to no one in particular.

"Mommy?" Raine snapped out of her thoughts. She needed to stop spacing out.

"Yes honey?" she replied, glancing at Squall lovingly.

"Do I hafta go to school?" he asked for the umpteenth time this week, hiding the bottom half of his face in his blanket, "Can't I just stay home with you?"

Raine took a moment to formulate her response before saying, "Squall, do you know why Daddy makes people laugh?"

Confusion replaced the worry in the little ocean-eyed boy. He shook his head slowly, not sure what the answer was.

Raine patted Squall's head in understanding, "It's because that what he does. Daddy makes people laugh because Daddy's a funny person. And Ellone talks with others because Ellone loves talking, right?"

"I guess so," Squall agreed. He no longer hid his head in the blankets but the confusion still lingered.

Raine nodded, "Right! And you Squall…You're quiet, but you're also a kind person in your own way. You know when to help others when they are feeling troubled." She patted her son again with a smile, "People will see that and want to get to know you. Others will want to be your friend and you will want to be friends with others. You don't have to be funny like Daddy or talk as much as Ellone; just be _you _Squall. That's the Squall people want to know."

"But what if no one likes that?" Squall questioned stubbornly.

Raine shook her head, "Then they're not the friends you want. Different people are drawn together Squall. You'll know when it happens. Sooner or later, you're going to wish school would never end just so you can hang out!"

Squall took that moment to think. When he felt satisfied with what Mommy told him, Squall looked up to her with a bright smile. At the sight, Raine couldn't help but cuddle her child. She kissed him on the forehead afterwards and tucked him in bed.

"Sweet dreams Squall," she cooed as Raine made her way to the door.

"Good night," Squall yawned, eyes fluttering to a close. Raine, happy at the sight, turned off the light and closed the door to her son's room slightly.

*

*

The first day of school finally came. Squall was reluctant to go at first but with encouragement from his Mommy and Sis, he was brave enough to walk towards the school building. He didn't even need to hold Ellone's hand.

Later that day, Raine had to admit that the day didn't go by fast enough. She was getting bored quickly and found herself constantly worrying about Squall. What if something bad happened? What if some kid was bullying her baby? What if he'd hurt himself but was telling no one? Or worse, what if he had been kidnapped during lunch break?

…Okay, she really _did _have too much time on her hands. Raine looked at the clock in the living room, hoping that time had passed since she finished her usually chores and started thinking of ridiculous scenarios. Thankfully, it was quarter to three; almost time for kids to get out of school. Deciding it was time to pick them up, Raine grabbed her house keys and a jacket before leaving the house.

When she got to the school, kids were already vacating the premises; other parents waiting for their own child as well. Raine searched the children leaving the school doors. None of them were either Squall or Ellone. Raine sighed as she waited patiently. She really wondered why they were taking so long. Raine could understand Ellone being a little late, but she had been sure Squall would be one of the first kids out the door. Maybe he was stopped by a teacher? Or maybe he got lost in the hallways? Or maybe…

"Hey Squall, have you tried a hot dog before?" Raine's ears perked up when she heard her boy's name. She took a glance at the school doors again and to her surprise, Squall was surrounded by a small group of children his age. She could barely hear the small conversation going on.

"I think so…" Raine heard Squall shyly answer.

"My Ma makes the best in the wide world! I eat them all the time!" exaggerated a boy with slightly spiky hair.

"You shouldn't eat so much. It'll make you sick you know!" replied a blonde girl in a matter-of-fact way.

"Haha! Zell's gonna be a Caterchipillar!" laughed a boy with auburn hair.

"Or he'll be a CHOCOBO!!!" jumped a smaller, energetic girl.

"Hey! No I won't!" retaliated the smaller boy.

Everyone in the group laughed together at the silliness of the argument. Well, everyone but Squall. He didn't really laugh, but he was definitely showing a shy smile throughout the whole ordeal. It made Raine's heart soar knowing Squall was comfortable within that small group of kids.

As if on cue, Ellone met up with Squall while greeting his tiny group. They said their goodbyes when Ellone noticed Raine was waiting for them by the school gate. Squall waved to his cohorts receiving one verbal response, two hand waving motions, and a surprise hug courtesy of the bouncing girl.

Soon after, Ellone and Squall made their way to Raine. She gave each of them a hug saying, "I missed you both so much! How was school?"

"It was so fun! Xu and I are in the same class again!" Ellone happily shared as they walked down the streets of Balamb. Raine was hand-in-hand with each of her children as she listened to Ellone's little tale.

"That's great Ellone! Maybe she can come over sometime?" Raine replied.

Ellone nodded, "I remembered to ask like you said. Xu told me she might have to ask her parents first, but she really does want to come over!"

Raine chuckled a little, nodding in understanding. She then turned her attention to her youngest child asking, "And how about you Squall?"

Squall thought for a moment before looking up at Raine, "It was okay; the teacher didn't look like a Ruby Dragon or a Grendel. I think Daddy was wrong."

_I knew it! _Raine exclaimed to herself. She would have to scold Laguna later for associating monsters and school staff in the same sentences but for now, she continued, "I see. And those kids you were with? Who were they?"

Squall unconsciously beamed as he thought about his peers, "They're in my class." He then thought seriously as he stated, "I…want them to be my friends."

"I think they're already you're friends, Squall!" Ellone grinned looking at her little brother.

"You think so?" Squall looked back at his Sis with wide eyes. He was surprised he already made friends without him knowing it himself.

"Mm-hmm! And they'll be great friends!" she encouraged.

"Yeah? …Yeah!" Squall grinned back.

Both kids continued to elaborate on things they saw or heard at school. Raine would have never thought Squall would say so much about one day in his life. He must've experienced things he had never seen before. Raine smiled inwardly thinking school was having a positive effect on his demeanor.

The family was rounding the corner to their home when Ellone exclaimed, "Uncle Laguna's home!" She dropped Raine's hand to run inside the house, noticing the car Laguna used to get to work was parked in the driveway.

Raine sighed as she called out, "Please put away your school bag first before meeting Laguna, Ellone!"

"I will!" Ellone cried back as she disappeared through the front door.

Raine giggled as she shook her head lightly. She then felt a tug on her right sleeve. She looked down at Squall who made the motion that he wanted her to kneel down to his height. Raine complied with his request curiously, "Yes, Squall?"

Squall opened his arms wide as he blushed slightly, "I have to give you a big hug, remember? When I get back from school?"

Raine stared blankly at him for a moment then laughed, "Of course! How could I forget?" She hugged Squall tightly then kissed his head.

After their hug ended, Squall ran towards the house, "School's not so bad; at least I'm not bored anymore!"

Raine only sighed in irony as she followed at a walking pace, "I wish I could say the same."

Now that the kids were all set and happy at school, Raine would have to find a new hobby to pass the time until the holidays.


	4. Skip Turn Step

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I hope I haven't bored you to death just yet with my little one-shots because there's still a lot more to go! :D

I realize I haven't updated in quite a while so I apologize! Once again, school needed priority as finals are around the corner! Wish me luck!

I made major revamps to this particular one-shot for many reasons: 1) the original draft became too angst for something that was supposed to be cute (although I might reuse the angst part in the future…), 2) I _really_ couldn't get this the way I wanted, and 3) I still can't control my word count! Sorry if it's long!

I still feel like the theme was inconsistent, but whatever! I guess it moves things along, right???

Once again, thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers: _WickedSong, Scribbleness, Vedensolina, Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, _and _MarquetteFan33__! _Your encouraging words inspire me to do better each chapter! :)

Remember to R&R!

_**Quick Summary: **_Squall and dancing… There was no way in hell it was happening.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. Just this shameless series I continue to blab about. :D

* * *

**Skip Turn Step**

It was one of those days. Snow was falling from the sky as it welcomed the wintry season. It hardly ever snowed in Balamb during the winter, but the weather would forever be unpredictable. The residents of the seaside town didn't mind however; the snow did little to stop the townsfolk from continuing with their usually routines.

Squall was one of those people who didn't mind the snow. Of course his routine moved slower than usually, but it never wavered. He was making his way down the stairs, fur-collared coat in hand, when he heard music coming from the living room. He thought to ignore the sound and make his way to the front door, but the people laughing in the living room grabbed his curiosity.

He made his way to the living room via the entrance near the kitchen. What Squall saw was an awkward sight…Laguna was stepping sloppily all over the place with Ellone holding his palms. Were they dancing? If they were, it didn't look like it; and Squall was no dancer.

A laughing Raine who was sitting on the arm of the couch saw her son gawking from the entrance way. "Squall!" she called out waving him over, "Why don't you come join us? Ellone's teaching your father how to ballroom dance!"

_Dancing? No thanks, _Squall thought, shaking his head as a response. There was no way he'd be caught dead dancing; ballroom dancing no doubt. "I'm meeting everyone down at the café," he explained, glad his excuse to leave was valid this time round.

"I think someone's a little shy," Ellone teased in a sing-song voice. Squall's older sister stopped midway during her "dance" with Laguna to grin at her younger brother. She had been studying abroad in Esthar for the past three years and had come to visit the family during the holiday season. Somewhere within that time frame, Squall assumed Ellone had learned to dance.

"You should try it son!" Laguna encouraged, a boyish smile on his face, "If I keep this up, I might become a better dancer than you!"

_Right…Like I care, _Squall rolled his eyes, as he put on his jacket while ignoring giggles from Ellone.

"You two are terrible!" Raine laughed. She stood up and walked over to Squall, "C'mon Squall. I'll see you to the door while our 'dancers' keep dancing."

Squall didn't make any arguments. He complied and walked with Raine towards the front entrance. He had his leather gloves on and began putting on his boots when he heard, "What time will you be home?"

Not bothering to look up, Squall replied coolly, "I'll be back before dark."

"Make sure you're prepared for the weather. The forecast said it'll get colder by sunset," Raine informed the way only a mother could.

After his boots were snug against his feet, Squall stood up and turned to face his mother. She had crossed her arms in hopes of keeping the warmth around her body. As Raine examined her son's winter attire to make sure he wouldn't risk catching a cold, Squall sighed with a slight smile. No matter how old he got, Raine would always see him as the boy who needed help tying his shoes.

"I'll be okay, Mom. The café's only three blocks away," Squall assured with a warming smirk.

Raine smiled back with a sigh of her own, "Right. Tell your friends I said hi?"

Squall nodded as he opened the door slightly, careful not to let the cold air in the house. Raine gave a quick kiss on Squall's cheek as a good-bye before closing the door behind him. Squall flipped his collar to his face before setting out towards the café. Man was it cold outside!

*

*

"I'm telling you! Irvine cheated! I don't remember you having a Diablos card in your hand at all!" Zell accused, pointing a finger at the relaxed cowboy across the table.

Irvine waved a hand as a response to his tattooed friend's accusations, "Oh please, Zell. Don't be a sore loser 'cause I beat you…thrice. Not very impressive in front of the ladies!" He winked at a passing waitress, who giggled at the charming patron.

"What'd you say!? Best 5 out of 7!" the martial artist declared as he cleared the Triple Triad board with a growl.

"Forget that!" interrupted the ever peppy Selphie. She snatched Irvine's hat, much to his protests, and placed it on her own head. Selphie proceeded to pull out what seemed to be a checklist and announced, "The Winter Formal is coming up and I might have to change a few things since the weather's being uncooperative this year! Any ideas?"

"You _could_ get hot chicks to come in and 'warm the place up,'" Irvine voiced, anticipating Zell's next card move. He earned an unexpectedly hard punch from Selphie as a reward, "Ow! I was joking, Selph!"

"Yeah right!" she scoffed with arms crossed in disbelief at the boy sitting beside her.

Quistis cleared her throat to dissipate the rise in tension. Facing the shorter girl who sat across from her, she replied, "I don't think you need to worry about the weather, Selphie. The dance isn't for another week!"

"But I want everything to be perfect, Quisty!" Selphie whined, flailing her short arms in the air, "This Winter Formal has to be the best yet!"

_You said that last year…_ Squall thought in a bored tone. He sat at the head of the table facing the large window. Squall sank in his seat drinking his hot beverage while listening to the banter of his friends.

"The weather should be fine by next week. I believe the forecast was 'clear skies with a chance of light snow' on the day of the Formal," Quistis informed while pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Wow Quisty! You could have a career in weather forecasting!" Selphie exclaimed, her mood lightening up to the news, "This is great! My skylight idea will still be in effect then!"

"What do you need a skylight for?" Zell questioned, throwing down his cards in defeat. He didn't care for the game of Triple Triad; losing once again to the Galbadian cowboy.

Selphie piqued with a gleam in her eyes, "It goes like this: not every person at the dance with have a date, right? So, because of this dilemma, they can gaze up to the heavens and view the stars in the sky; hence the need for a skylight and accommodating weather! As the night sky glistens beautifully while the snow falls down, they'll be motivated to follow through with their feelings and confess to the ones they love! It's perfect; especially when the theme is 'winter wonderland!' It's Operation: Snowflakes, Love, and You!"

"That sounds…" Quistis trailed off, not sure what to say next.

"Corny," Zell finished off, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"It's SUPPOSED to be romantic!" Selphie defended, dropping her fists on the table. She glared daggers at Zell who blew a raspberry, "Don't give me that attitude, Zell Dincht! I KNOW you asked that student-librarian to the dance!"

Zell dropped his mouth in shock while blushing furiously, "What the—!? How did you know!?"

Irvine rolled his eyes as he placed an arm around Selphie's chair, "Everybody knows, Zell. But I don't care since I'll be spendin' the dance with this wonderful little lady!"

He gave Selphie a flirtatious grin, earning a roll of said subject's eyes, "I don't remember saying yes to your invitation, Irvine Kinneas." At this, Irvine own mouth dropped in rejection as Zell laughed until his sides hurt. Squall grinned while sipping the last of his hot drink.

Selphie laughed before replying, "I'm just kidding, Irvy! Anyways, _Quistis,_ have _you_ answered any invitations to the dance?"

Quistis blushed a little as she shifted in her seat, sipping her tea, "I don't know. It's awkward to say yes to any of them."

"So what? At least you won't be at the dance by yourself," Selphie reasoned before covering her mouth, "Oops! No offense Squall!"

Squall shrugged as he leaned back in his seat, "None taken."

It was true though. Squall would be attending the dance without a partner; not that he cared much. He never wanted to go in the first place, but as elected school president, he didn't have a choice. He would go, but Squall decided to spend only the first hour there then leave. Thus the reason for no companionship.

"Really? No date?" Zell asked, leaning over the table to glance at the supposed "leader" of the group. Squall frowned back, knowing where this was going, "I thought you'd probably ask that Rinoa chick…"

"Just because she talks to me doesn't mean I'm obligated to ask her to the Formal," Squall deadpanned, a warning tone in his usually monotonous voice. Zell always had to poke his nose where it didn't belong.

Sure Squall talked to Rinoa (well more like she talked to him), but they weren't really close in that sense. They shared a few classes together, but outside of class time, they never hung out. She had her friends and Squall had his. They were from two different worlds; not to mention complete opposites.

He could still remember arguing with her a week ago…about Chocobos. She stated that Chocobos should remain wild creatures while Squall countered that they were nature's natural transportation service and sometimes needed to be tamed. They argued the issue until their math teacher sent them out in the hallways for disrupting class. Squall never had an argument as weird as that one and he hoped it would never happen again.

"C'mon Squall. No need to be like that. She's pretty cute; and you know it!" Irvine encouraged, ignoring the irritated glares of Squall _and _Selphie.

Squall crossed his arms as he questioned sternly, "And what makes you think I would ask her?"

"Well let's list the most noticeable facts," Irvine explained, removing his arm from Selphie's chair to count his fingers, "One: She's cute. Two: She's probably the only girl immune to your 'get-the-hell-away-from-me' aura. Three: She and Seifer have been over since summer break. And four: …I've seen you staring at her during Phys. Ed.; in those _especially_ short gym shorts I might add."

Squall almost fell out of his chair as he blushed crimson with mouth slightly agape. He stared in shock at his auburn haired friend who was grinning triumphantly.

…How'd he know that?

"What!? Really!?" Selphie and Zell both exclaimed, gauging the response of the wide-eyed brunette. They were bouncing in their seats because they never expected Squall to be that interested in one girl.

Quistis, who failed at acting seriously, muffled through giggles, "Squall! I would've never believed you would have…those kinds of thoughts..."

"Oooh! Squall you perv!" Selphie teased while Zell's back faced Squall as he tried to quiet his laughter.

Squall could only stay silent; not a single word left him as he lowered his gaze away from his so-called "friends." He couldn't come up with something intelligible to shoot down the remarks fast enough. But it wasn't his fault if he looked in that general vicinity once or twice! Other guys' eyes have strayed in that same direction; Irvine included. And besides, those gym shorts were short! Real short…

"I'm leaving," was Squall's brilliant retaliation before grabbing his jacket and making his escape. Usually he was unaffected by his friends' comments, but teasing him about Rinoa held a chance that he'd feel embarrassed one way or another. Squall ignored his friends who tried calling him back as he made his way out the café door.

The snow was falling much lighter than when Squall first left home. As he walked down the street with hands in his pockets, Squall eased his mind out of the earlier embarrassment. Okay, sure. Rinoa was pretty much the only girl Squall could really think of asking to the Winter Formal, but he wasn't exactly the most outgoing person. Not only was he passive, Squall wasn't exactly "date" material. He'd probably keep quiet most of the time and if she asked him to dance, he'd refuse in a heartbeat. To sum it up, Squall was boring.

Squall sighed annoyingly to himself as he saw his house coming into view. He reflected on how he walked out on his friends. It probably wasn't the most mature way to end the discussion, but Squall needed to leave before losing all signs of his dignity in one night. He would apologize to his friends tomorrow at school, but for now he would stay upset with them a little longer. After all, he _was _supposed to pay for half of the drinks ordered in the café. However, since he was upset, he "forgot" about paying up.

_Oh well. They'll find a way to deal, _Squall smirked, his revenge fulfilled.

*

*

Once Squall had entered the house, he realized music was still playing from the living room. Taking off his jacket and gloves he thought, _They're still at it?_

He proceeded to remove his boots when Squall heard footsteps coming to the front door. He looked up to see his mother, a smile on her face, "Welcome back! …Although you're home earlier than I thought."

"We weren't exactly doing much," Squall replied adding spitefully in mind, _except for making fun of me. _Squall grabbed his jacket and began to walk with his mother down the hallway. He headed for the staircase while conversing, "Have you guys been…dancing since I left?"

"No, we took a break to eat supper. Your father was starting to get hungry after dancing an hour straight," Raine laughed. She then glanced at Squall with concern, "Are you hungry? There still some food left on the stove."

Squall shook his head, a hand running through his hair, "No, I'm good. I ate a little at the café."

"Hmm, I see...Well, alright then!" Raine declared as she clapped her hands together, "You should join us in the living room!"

_Hell no! _Squall denied but stated calmly, a foot on the first step of the stairway, "I don't want to."

"And why not?" Raine pouted, hands on her hips as she looked up to her son. She was shorter than Squall, but Raine was in no way intimidated by his size.

"I don't dance," Squall definitively answered. He knew he was stubborn, but Squall was only the tip of the iceberg that was Raine.

"You can learn how. Your sister's a wonderful teacher," Raine shot back.

"I don't care."

"Try it anyways; it's fun."

"'Fun' isn't in my dictionary."

"Squall!"

"What? It's true."

"Well _I_ don't care for your impassiveness. Now come!" Raine stated firmly, grabbing Squall's arm and dragging him away from the stairway. The sudden action made Squall stumble a little as he tried to catch his thoughts. Squall attempted to break away, but Raine had a grip that matched a Behemoth! How in the world can one woman have that much strength and determination just to get her son to dance?

Once they entered the living room, Laguna and Ellone halted their activity. They stared in bewilderment at the pair who had just walked in. Raine, knowing the question to their awkward glances, smiled, "Squall came home early and he agreed to be my dance partner! We'll be able to dance in pairs this way."

"But I don't want to—" Squall began, but was cut off by Raine stubbornly ignoring her son to face Ellone.

"Elle, can you play the waltz number? I think I remember how to do that dance best," Raine requested as she readied herself and Squall for the dance. She placed Squall's right hand on her hip while holding out Squall's left hand in a leading position. She finished off by placing her right hand on Squall's shoulder.

Ellone nodded as she walked from Laguna's side to the music player. She was confused but equally excited that Squall was going to dance, "Sure thing, Raine." She skipped through some of the tracks before stopping on a song suitable for the waltz.

As the music began playing, Raine began to move her feet while Squall was perplexed at what was happening. He was dancing…or at least doing a poor excuse for a dance. When Raine moved her left foot forward, Squall would move his left foot hastily behind him. If Raine decided to turn to the right, Squall would try to follow without tripping over his feet.

"Hey! I want in!" Laguna chuckled as he watched his wife and son dance. He turned to Ellone and feigned gentlemanly manners with a bow, "Miss Ellone, may I please have this dance?"

The young woman giggled taking her adoptive father's hand, "I'd be delighted to!" The other couple began dancing; however Laguna still had trouble with the steps. He laughed it off and Ellone continued to teach him over her own giggles.

Squall was horrified that this was even happening. He was supposed to be the sane one in the family that didn't do anything embarrassment-prone. He continued to fumble in his footing while Raine was patient enough to lead her son to fall in sync with the beat.

_This…is stupid, _Squall thought, watching his feet to make sure he didn't step on Raine's, _I wasn't meant to do this!_

"Just calm down, Squall," Raine sniggered, trying to get her son to focus on her face, "Just follow the beat: 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3…"

Raine continued counting the beats to the music and Squall started to find it easier to step in time. He mentally kept count too, his gaze slowly lifting from his feet to his mother's face. When they faced each other Raine grinned, obviously proud her son made progress. Squall returned the gesture with a tiny upturn of his lips. Both pairs of dancers continued to "waltz" until the song ended. Taking a deep breath, Squall collapsed on the couch with a big sigh of relief. It was over! His feet were aching, but thank Hyne it was over!

"Wow! I could use a glass of water!" Laguna panted slightly, wiping the tiny beads of sweat on his forehead, "Anyone up for a glass?" He turned to his family.

Raine beamed at her husband, "I think I could use one." She turned to Squall and chuckled, "Squall too. He looks tired."

"That's an understatement…" Squall muttered under his breath, leaning his head on the cushion of the couch.

Laguna laughed, "Okay! Water coming right up!"

"I'll help you, Uncle Laguna. You might end up juggling the glasses and dropping them," Ellone teased as she linked arms with the older man.

"Hey! I happen to be a very coordinated person!" Laguna mocked in hurt. Ellone could only laugh as she playfully apologized. Once they were out of the room, Raine decided to take a seat beside Squall.

Squall, with an arm over his eyes, stated solemnly, "You know, if you make me dance again, I swear I'm going to break your good glasses."

Raine leaned back in her seat, laughing at Squall's threat, "I hope you don't. After all, I _am _the one who makes all your meals remember?"

_...Good point, _Squall sneered in response.

"You weren't bad for your first time dancing," Raine praised, "You'll be perfectly fine dancing with a girl at that school dance."

_She remembered,_ Squall mused with an impressed smirk. He neglected to tell his parents about the event, but like always, Raine had a way to find out eventually. Squall had to admit, he did admire his mother's prowess.

Squall scoffed as he removed his smirk, "Sure; if she doesn't mind me stepping on her feet. Honestly, I can't dance, Mom. But you…where did you learn how to dance? Besides Ellone?" Squall glanced at his mother from under his arm. He knew Raine didn't take classes, but for someone who was also learning how to dance, his mother danced _well. _Maybe she was generally good at it, but Squall was curious either way.

Raine smiled as she remembered all too familiar memories, "Way back before you were born; before your father and I got married to be exact. I didn't want to look like a fool on my wedding day, so I learned to dance a little from a lady I knew in Winhill. I wasn't perfect, but it's short-term learning to avoid long-term embarrassment! …Now if only I could say the same about your father. He really does have two left feet." Raine chortled and Squall snorted a little to prevent him from laughing along with her.

"I see," Squall replied, clearing his throat. He lifted his head from the cushion and decided to sit with an arm on the arm rest, leaning his head on his open palm.

Raine looked at Squall with genuine curiosity, "Have you asked a girl to the dance, Squall?"

_This again… _Squall inwardly groaned. He replied nonchalantly, "No. There wasn't anyone to ask."

"Oh? That's too bad…" Raine frowned.

"It's okay. I didn't want to go anyways," Squall said, waving a hand to dismiss the issue.

"Still; I also thought someone would ask you themselves. You're a handsome young man after all," she insisted with a hand to her chin in a thinking gesture.

Squall blushed slightly, "Mom, please; I don't care."

Raine sighed in defeat, knowing full well it was true, "I suppose. But I'm sure that there's at least one girl you'd like to spend the time with." Squall stiffened at the innocent comment, but Raine didn't notice. They heard glass hitting the floor in the kitchen. A curse from Laguna and a tiny laugh from Ellone established that an accident had been made. Raine sighed again, this time irritably, "Laguna…"

She got up from her seat and Squall could see she was ready to give a lecture to the man she vowed to spend her life with…'til death do they part. Before she disappeared however, Squall wanted to ask the question that had been nipping at him since he left the café earlier that evening.

"Mom?" Squall let out, grabbing Raine's attention before she walked out of the room.

"Yes, Squall?" Raine asked as calmly as she could after another glass faced an untimely doom.

"Um…" Squall started, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Raine crossed her arms, patience wearing a little thin. Squall took this as a hint to continue quickly, "…What if I _did _want to ask someone to the dance, knowing I'm not exactly fun? …Hypothetically speaking."

Raine was a little caught off guard by the question, but regained her composure thinking for a moment. Smiling affectionately at Squall, she answered, "Then ask, Squall. No one is stopping you but yourself. I'm sure that whoever you have in mind would appreciate the thought of you asking instead of sitting on the fence."

Squall absorbed the words and nodded to himself. Trying to ask before retreating was in fact the wiser choice. Otherwise, he would be accepting that he was a coward in front of himself and to her. Plus, Squall hated the idea that she'd be at the Formal with someone other than himself. He smiled faintly at Raine to let her know he understood what he needed to do.

Raine nodded back and began to make her way to the kitchen. Her stern voice could be heard scolding the father and daughter of their little family. Squall chuckled a little. His mother was definitely an amazing woman; loving, helpful, and above all, still down to earth.

Squall thanked Hyne for giving him such a wonderful woman as a mother.

*

*

The next day at school began with Squall's friends ranting at him for leaving them with the bill. Zell complained that he wouldn't have enough money to buy the hot dog special going on at lunch today. Irvine, the other person to pay half of the bill that night, whined he wouldn't have enough cash to book a hotel room on the night of the Winter Formal. Selphie gave him a well deserved smack on the back before she and Quistis nagged Squall to not "drink-and-run." Squall complied with the requests and apologized; much to his amusement. The brunette decided to buy lunch for them as an apology and the only way to get Zell to stop whining.

They sat at their usually table in the school's cafeteria, bringing about their normal routine. Zell ate his hotdogs in complete bliss, Selphie gossiped about the silliest things while Quistis listened patiently, and Irvine reported his daily assessment on the female student body to Squall, not that he really cared. The event of yesterday no longer the topic of focus, to which Squall was happy for.

Lunch continued as it normally did; even Squall decided to share his opinions on Irvine's supposed "why-women-want-me" theory. He wanted to break the news to his friend gently, but Irvine really needed a straightforward factual blow to the ego.

Before Squall had a chance to share his thoughts with the cowboy, Squall felt a tap on his shoulder, "Hey Squall."

Squall looked over his shoulder to see the much talked about raven haired girl wink at him as she walked by his table, her friends completely oblivious to her greeting him. Squall settled for the silent approach, returning the gesture with a nod. He was surprised to see Rinoa, much less to greet him. Rinoa smiled sweetly before turning to her friends and continued on her way.

The stormy eyed boy continued to follow the girl with his gaze. She and her friends had decided to sit at a table by the corner, a short ways from Squall's table that sat in the middle of the lunch room. He could only stare at her, completely ignoring the comments coming from his friends. Irvine probably mentioned something inappropriate because Quistis and Selphie threatened him, but Squall couldn't be sure. The only thing he did know was that Rinoa occupied his mind.

_No one is stopping you but yourself._

Raine's advice began to play in his head as he continued to watch Rinoa interact with her friends. She was laughing and Squall was curious to know why, aching to hear her melodious voice.

_I'm sure that whoever you have in mind would appreciate the thought of you asking instead of sitting on the fence._

Feeling eyes on her, Rinoa turned to look in Squall's direction. He cursed inwardly that he was caught staring. Squall believed she'd look away in disgust, but instead Rinoa smiled at him. It was a warm smile and Squall realized that it was now or never.

_I'm sure that there's at least one girl you'd like to spend the time with._

In that moment, Squall stood up from his seat. His friends gave him confused glances but realized that he was on a mission once they saw their quiet companion heading towards the table near the corner. Zell and Irvine looked at each other, mouths agape in shock. Selphie cheered for Squall quietly and Quistis crossed her arms in satisfaction while smiling.

At first Rinoa was surprised by Squall's sudden action, but she slowly eased into delight. Her friends noticed the handsome brunette coming their way, slightly confused but highly excited. They asked Rinoa what was going on, but she couldn't hear them as she continued to lock gazes with Squall.

Squall began to feel the nervousness building up inside him, but he pushed it aside as he got closer to his destination. As he continued to look deep within her brown eyes, Squall smiled inwardly in bliss.

His mother was right; there was at least one girl Squall would like to spend time with. However, Squall had hoped that the time spent together with her would go beyond the limited hours at the Winter Formal.


	5. Baby Talk

**A/N: **Ha! Thought I'd up and leave this did you!? Well, lucky for you, I have not and don't plan to! Hehe! I still have fun writing between Squall and Raine, I'm just very picky about how I write it…again. :)  
Sucks that I do and I apologize! My mind just starts running and then things get long, yadda yadda… At least I update though right?

Sorry again if this doesn't really seem to take from Raine's perspective as much. It was kind of challenging to write this one, but it still makes me laugh! I hope it makes you laugh too! Enjoy baby Squall cause I haven't written him as one yet! :D

By the way! BIG thanks to my readers once again! And my reviewers: _Emerald-Latias, Scribbleness, Angel Sorano, Verdanii, Wicked Song, _and_ Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly! _Thanks to all of you because you guys keep my motivation for this series high! ^^

_**Quick Summary: **_His first word was suppose to be "mama" or "dada"… Raine wasn't expecting him to say…that.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. Just this shameless series I continue to blab about. :D

* * *

**Baby Talk**

"Raine! We'll be in the backyard for a bit!" Ellone called out from upstairs.

The mother of two called back, "Alright! Oh! But make sure Zell and Squall don't play in the mud!"

Ellone giggled, "Don't worry; I'll make sure!" Her footsteps, along with another two sets of feet, made their way out the porch door. Raine sighed.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Mrs. Dincht called and asked Raine if Ellone could possibly babysit Zell. Raine told the other woman that it was not a problem, knowing Squall and Ellone were currently bored out of their minds. With Zell, things would become a lot livelier!

So here they were, Ellone and the younger kids playing outside in the sun while Raine was in the basement storage doing some spring cleaning. She organized boxes full of different things. The young mother tried to move as much as she could, but she left the heavier ones alone.

"Hmm…I guess I'll have Laguna move those when he gets home," Raine analyzed in a thinking gesture. She carried a small box in her arms when she heard a thud hit the ground. Curiously, she looked down at her feet to see a small book, a photo album.

She placed the box where she wanted before walking to the grounded book. Raine looked at the title of the photo album: _Squall Loire: From Birth to 4__th__ Birthday. _The title made Raine giggle as memories of Laguna excitedly suggesting to making a baby book for his unborn child played out. Raine, who was still pregnant at the time, initially brushed the idea off. She later reconsidered after falling in love with her baby boy's blue eyes for the first time. Be it maternal instincts or not, Raine knew she needed to capture his cute face on camera before Squall was old enough to steal the camera and delete the film.

Darting between the remaining boxes and the photo album, Raine shrugged as she walked to the couch in the basement. _The cleaning can wait. I deserve a treat, _she inwardly concluded. She sat herself down as she flipped through the pages. The album was filled with many photos and some of them had small captions in random places; courtesy of her journalist husband.

Raine's smile grew every time a picture of Squall popped up doing something he wouldn't do at his current age of nine. The picture on page one had Raine holding the newborn Squall in her arms for the very first time. The young mother mused at how Squall was so tiny back then before turning the pages. There was one photo where a two year old Squall was copying Ellone as she posed for the camera. Another picture caught Raine's eye and she thought it was the most endearing. It was one where both Laguna and Squall were napping on the couch; Squall resting on top of his father's chest around the tender age of 10 months. The mother sighed again as she turned more pages: Squall's first baby steps, Squall's first time potty training, Squall's first time pouting, every single moment of Squall's "firsts" in toddlerhood were caught on camera!

Suddenly another picture caught Raine's eyes. This one was a group shot when Laguna's close friends, Kiros and Ward, had come to visit the family who had recently moved to their small home in Balamb. In the photo, Laguna had an arm around Raine's shoulder as she carried a very timid Squall in her arms. On Laguna's other side stood the dark-skinned man Kiros and the bulkier man Ward with Ellone perched on his broad shoulders. Everyone was all smiles and Raine could remember it was a day filled with many events, especially coming from Squall. Oh yes; Raine could still remember it as if it was yesterday.

It was the day Squall said his first word.

*

*

"Come on Squall! Can you say 'mama?' Say mama for Mommy, Squall!" Raine cooed as she played with Squall's hands.

In response, all Raine got from the twelve month old boy was a blank stare followed by a smile and gurgles. Squall innocently clapped his hands as he played against Raine's. The young mother could only sigh with a smile as she entertained the baby.

"Still trying to get him to talk, huh?" Laguna teased as he carried another box into the room, Ellone skipping behind him. The man placed the box on the ground before kneeling to pat the little girl's head, "Hehe, you must be so excited; living in a brand new place!"

The little girl giggled with a nod, "Very much so, Uncle Laguna!" She turned to glance at Raine and smiled. Raine smiled back in response before picking up Squall in her arms. Ellone ran up to her adoptive mother and little brother. She tickled her brother's sock-covered feet, earning a laugh as Squall buried himself in Raine's arms.

Laguna gave out a hearty laugh, "Aww, he's ticklish! I knew it!" He made his way to his wife and kids, completely forgetting about the other boxes still outside in the minivan.

"Well, he takes after you; that's for sure," Raine added with a smirk. Noticing Laguna wanted to hold Squall, she gently transferred the child to his father. The mother watched as father and son interacted with each other. It warmed her heart seeing the ex-Galbadian soldier acting so sweetly with a child to call his own.

Laguna bounced Squall in hands, touching noses with his son before pulling him away and repeating the action. The emerald eyed man cooed in a ridiculous baby voice, "Who's my big boy? Squally is! Can Squally say 'dada?' Say dada. Dada!" Raine had to giggle. It made Laguna look silly talking in "babyish" terms, but if it worked for Squall, she allowed it.

Squall laughed some more while patting Laguna face with his hands. Laguna grinned in response before feeling a tug on his pants and looked down at Ellone. She asked, "Oh! Can I play him please?"

Laguna bent down, careful with Squall as he placed the boy steadily on his feet. He glanced at Ellone and continued with his baby voice, "Of course Elle can! Squally, Elle's your big sister, okay? You're her wittle brother!"

Now Raine had to roll her eyes. As Laguna let Ellone hold her baby brother's hand, who was trying to walk without so much shakiness, Raine scolded her husband lightly, "Laguna, we talked about this. No baby talking with Ellone. Talk to her like an adult please."

He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "Right. But hey, if Squall learns, he learns!"

"Not at this rate," Raine sighed as she watched her children. Squall had fallen on his bottom and Ellone was trying to help Squall up again, "Aren't babies suppose to say their first word by this age?"

"No worries, Raine! Squall's a quiet baby; you and I know that. Maybe he's just taking his time," Laguna assured, hands on his hips as he looked at his wife.

"But—"

"Ah ah!" Laguna interrupted with a finger on Raine's mouth for emphasis, "A quiet baby doesn't talk right away! Give him time Raine."

Raine thought for a moment before nodding. Victorious, Laguna remove his finger to give a quick kiss on Raine's lips. They heard another vehicle pulling up in the drive way. Raine began, "That must be…"

"Yup," Laguna agreed before she finished, "Kiros and Ward finally caught up." He rolled his shoulders, getting ready for more laborious work.

"Uncle Laguna! Can you bring out the toys too?" Ellone asked as she saw Laguna leaving. The man nodded to the little girl before opening the front door and heading outside. Raine sighed again as she glanced at Squall and Ellone.

Smiling at them, she asked, "Who wants a snack?"

"I do!" Ellone immediately replied as she raised her hand. Squall saw Ellone's action and copied her, raising his own hands in the air with a goofy smile. Raine laughed as she walked over to pick up Squall and held him in one arm. She used her other hand to hold Ellone's as they headed for the kitchen of their new home.

*

*

"Finally! All done!" Laguna exhaled, slumping over the table top.

"I guess yelling out instructions is a tiring job, huh Laguna?" joked the dark-skinned man, Kiros, as he took a sip of his water. He sat adjacent to Laguna's side of the table. A gruff laugh from the taller, bigger man, Ward, could be heard opposite Kiros's seat.

"Hey! I helped carry boxes!" Laguna rebutted, sitting up, "And besides! I had to tell you where each box went or else you'd place them in all one spot!"

Kiros raised an eyebrow, "The boxes were all labeled; I'm pretty sure Ward and I know exactly where the 'kitchen' would be."

Laguna opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. He looked away while cursing under his breath. He'd been foiled!

Ward sent a look at Kiros, who deciphered, "Ward says, 'score one for us; Laguna: zero.'"

"Wait! We have a score now!? No fair!" Laguna let out in disbelief. His friends laughed and Raine smiled by the counter. She knew Laguna was close to his old war buddies so it was great that they could spare a day helping an old friend move in with his family.

Laguna, Kiros, and Ward had been working hard to get all the moving items in the house before it got sundown. They succeed in their goal and they all took the time to relax. Some of the furniture, like the kitchen table, were set in place and all that was left to do was box everything else. Raine had been grateful for the extra help provided by Kiros and Ward. Without them, it would've taken the married couple days to properly settle in.

"Raine! Can I have Squall's sucking-thingy? He's chewing on his fingers again!" Ellone explained as she pointed at the boy who sat on the kitchen floor. He was indeed putting fingers in his mouth…and then touching things with the exact same hand.

Raine grabbed Squall's baby bag that sat on the counter and rummaged through it. Successfully, she pulled out the binky and handed it to her adopted daughter, saying, "It's called a pacifier, Ellone."

"Pacifier…Got it!" the girl repeated before running to her brother and putting the pacifier in his mouth.

After taking a swig of his drink, Kiros praised, "He's a quiet baby, but very humble."

"He is, but…" Laguna hid his mouth behind a hand and leaned towards Kiros and Ward in a "hush-hush" manner. He teased, "Raine feels like it's such a bad thing! He'll learn to talk when he wants to, right?"

Raine rolled her eyes as a small chuckle escaped her, "Whatever Laguna." She felt a tug at her pants and saw Squall smiling up against his pacifier at her. He mumbled incoherently and hid his face in Raine's pants. Raine beamed as she bent down to kiss the top of his head.

She tried to get him to talk again, "Mommy loves you, Squall. Can you say 'mama?'" Squall looked up at her and gurgled again, bubbles coming out of his mouth. Raine grabbed a tissue and wiped the bubbles off his face.

"I'm sure he'll talk sooner or later, Raine," Kiros supported as Squall walked shakily towards the table, "Ward thinks so too."

The mother sighed as Ellone went to help Squall again, "No, I believe that. It's just… I don't know. Just making sure I'm there when he starts I guess."

"Why? Once Squall starts talking, he might never stop," Laguna humored as he played with a labeling marker. Raine glared at him while leaning against the counter. He put his hands up in defense, "…Or not!"

She huffed as she crossed her arms, "Whatever the case, it's almost a gift for a parent to hear her child's first word! Whatever it is, I want to be there."

"And you will be!" Laguna comforted. Using the marker, he pointed to the baby, "Squall will most definitely say his first words by today! _Label_ _my_ _sentences,_ he will!"

Everyone fell silent with the exception of Squall's babbling and Ellone's giggles. The adults all looked at Laguna in the same perplexity. Kiros was first to break the stillness, coughing in his hand to hide a suppressed laugh, "Don't you mean, '_mark_ _my_ _words_?'"

Raine and Ward laughed out loud after that, Kiros soon following after. Ellone and Squall turned curiously to the adults as they both sat on the floor. Laguna blushed a light pink before standing up for himself, "Whatever man! Whatever! It means the same thing!" He flailed his occupied hand in Kiros's direction, planning to whack him silly with his "Marker of Doom."

Kiros leaned away as a defense but still laughed regardless, "Okay, I get it! Just…stop waving that marker around! You might poke someone's eye out!"

"Well I hope it's _your_ eye I poke!" Laguna madly stated. He continued to waving his arm before realizing the marker slipped out of his grasp, "Uh-oh!"

It flew upwards in the air before falling down…on his son's unsuspecting face! The baby boy was unfortunately following the marker's trajectory, smacking Squall dead between the eyes. Luckily it was the flat, lengthy side that hit him, but it didn't stop the toddler from falling backwards in surprise and hitting the kitchen floor with the back of his head.

"Ouch…!" Laguna winced, flinching for his son. Kiros and Ward had their mouths slightly open from the off-hand chance that the marker actually hit a person; a baby no doubt. Ellone gasped with hands to her mouth as Squall began to cry out loud.

Raine was first to react to Squall's crying. She literally dashed to her child's side as she cradled the baby closely, trying to stop his wailing. The mother kissed Squall's "boo-boo." It was breaking her heart that her child was crying so painfully.

_Oh Squall! Mommy is here so please stop crying! _she begged inwardly. He had never cried so hard before and it was all because of one man's carelessness. The woman's inner lioness began taking over as she realized the source of Squall's crying. Raine called out in a cold and emotionless voice, "Laguna…" It was a tone that froze everyone in the room except the crying baby.

Laguna shivered before sinking in his seat. His usually happy wife turned to him with a glare that could practically kill him on the spot. Her eyes were no longer full of Siren's love for him. No. It was full of Diablos's rage, straight out of hell.

"D-double ouch…!" Laguna muttered, shaking in his boots. Kiros and Ward looked between Laguna and Raine then decided to look at their now empty glasses. It was better than looking into the heavy atmosphere of the married couple. Although at this rate, the couple wouldn't be married much longer…

Raine quietly stood up as Squall continued to cry in her arms, his loud shrills turning into quieter sniffles. She gave Laguna a long death glare. The mother was still anger, but took a deep breath before turning around on her heels and declared, "I don't want you anywhere near Squall for an hour, Mr. Loire."

The shaking man snapped out of his fear for a moment to look at his wife incredulously, "WHAT!?" He stood up immediately in regards to the unfair treatment, "Raine that's—! I'm sorry about the marker, but it was an accident!"

"Whatever. Right now, you need to reflect on your actions," Raine scoffed, turning to narrow her eyes at Laguna, "You should be lucky it's just an hour! I was thinking of making it two."

Laguna was going to shout a counter, but the glower Raine gave him stopped the man's retaliation effort. The fury and finality in her eyes were almost unbearable. It…scared him…

Raine turned around again and made her way to the living room, repeating, "One hour, Laguna. Do not come within ten feet of Squall or I will hunt you down." She, and her dark ominous aura, left the room. Ellone looked between her two parents in worry before following Raine.

The men stayed silent for a while before Laguna dropped his head on the table and into his folded arms, "Aw man!"

"It…could get worse, Laguna," Kiros tried to comfort his long time war buddy. Ward placed a firm pat on Laguna's back as support.

"I know, but…" Laguna muffled from under his arms. He sounded really disheartened.

"But…?"

Laguna raised his head looking tearfully at his friends, "But it still means I'm missing one hour of my son's life; and that sucks! I swear, Hyne himself is laughing at me right now!"

Kiros and Ward glanced at each other before sighing in agreement. This was going to be one long hour.

*

*

Around the first ten minutes of his punishment, Laguna started to crack down. He was always watching Squall from around the corner with a longing to play with his son. Of course, Raine had her eye on him like a hawk. She glared at Laguna once in a while to scare him off.

"Raine, don't you think you're being mean to Uncle Laguna?" Ellone asked in concern as Laguna and his buddies faded behind the corner.

The mother shook her head as she finished changing Squall's diaper, "Of course not sweetie. I'm just making a point to your Uncle Laguna to not be so childish all the time… You'll understand when you get older." She sat Squall up against the couch as Ellone climbed it to sit beside her brother.

Squall started sucking his thumb as he looked at Ellone. She smiled as she played peek-a-boo, to which Squall copied with giggles. Raine smiled before turning to glower at the nearest corner. As she thought, Laguna was once again gazing at them.

_It's only ten minutes before he can come over again. Can't that man wait? _Raine thought before turning away from Laguna. She grew tired of her husband's persistent nature and let him watch Squall; his punishment almost being almost done anyways.

"Raine, can't Uncle Laguna come over?"

"No."

"But you didn't turn him away this time."

"It doesn't matter; a punishment is a punishment."

"_I_ think you've forgiven him already," Ellone pointed out observantly.

Raine rolled her eyes, "Whatever. He still can't come over yet."

A moment after she spoke, Squall starting staring at Raine. She stared back, wondering why Squall was gawking in the first place. She gently asked, "What's wrong, Squall?"

The little boy slapped his face with his hands lightly before peeking at Raine from under his hands. He babbled a little bit before murmuring something…

"Ba. Ba. Da…!"

Raine was caught off-guard, _Is he…speaking!? _As Squall struggled to let out what he wanted to say, Raine quickly turned to the corner Laguna was glancing behind and shouted, "LAGUNA!"

Laguna jumped back behind the corner yelping, "I'M SORRY!"

"What? NO!" Raine cried out quickly, "Come _here!_ I think Squall's going to say his first word!"

"Really!?" Laguna exclaimed, peering out of the corner. Raine hurriedly waved him over. Laguna dashed to his wife's side; his friends followed from out the hiding spot. As everyone gathered around the infant, Laguna turned to Raine, "…Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"SHH!!!" everyone, with the exception of Ward, spoke to quiet the man down; to which he did.

Squall continued to babble, "Ba! Ma…Da…"

"Come on, Squall! What do you want to say?" Raine encouraged quietly.

"Ma. Mu…Wa," Squall struggled. Everybody, especially the parents, waited in anticipation for Squall's first ever formed word, "Wah! Wah…"

"What is it!?" Laguna sharply questioned under his breath.

After more incoherent murmuring, Squall finally figured out how to form his dying word, "Wah…ba. Weh-ba. Webba!"

_Aha! He's done it! Squall said…webba? _Raine thought confusedly. She turned to her husband and asked, to which was in unison, "What's 'webba?'"

Laguna placed a hand on his chin and thought, "Webba? Like…'Webster?'"

"I think it's more…'Webber,'" Kiros added in his two cents, sharing a puzzled expression with Ward who shrugged.

"Is it…even a word…?" Raine asked in doubt. She was beginning to think this was a false alarm, much to her disappointment.

No one spoke up, thinking what Squall's mysterious word actually was. They continued to ponder deeply, but Ellone's high-pitched squeak snapped them out of their reverie.

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Ellone let out, hugging her little brother. All eyes were on the little girl as she beamed proudly, "Squall said, 'whatever!'"

"Webba!" Squall repeated, hugging Ellone back.

The adults in the room fell into awkward stillness. Raine repeated the words in utter bewilderment, "Webba…Whatever. Whatever…? That's his first word? Whatever?"

Laguna laughed out loud, "And here I was thinking he said something completely made up!"

"Yeah, but…" Raine glanced between her son and husband, soon settling on the older man a little upset, "Whatever? Laguna, that's his first _word! _What kind of child learns _that_ as their first word!?"

"Well, Squall apparently," Laguna replied smartly before seriously thinking it over, "Then again…I wouldn't blame him. You and I _did _use that word a LOT today."

Raine thought about it. Every time she had some form of conversation with Laguna today, she did recalling using it. And she remembered Laguna using it while acting like a child in the kitchen. Then she gasped; she was also using that exact word before Squall decided to have a staring contest with her a while ago!

"Oh my Hyne!" Raine sighed in defeat, running a hand through her hair as tears threatened to run down her cheeks, "I just taught my baby a useless first word!"

Laguna, sensing her distress, wrapped his arms around Raine in a comforting way. She was a stern woman yes, but what mother wouldn't be flipping out at her baby's first word? "It's okay Raine! At least we know Squall has the capacity to speak. We'll teach him how to say 'mama' next time."

Raine looked up at Laguna with a worried, but comforted look, "Right. He'll pick it up quicker now. You're right…"

"Yeah!" Laguna encouraged her positive outlook, "Besides, he might not even use that word as he grows up! It'll be a thing of the past for him!"

Raine smiled and nodded. She glanced at Squall who was repeatedly saying "webba" as he played patty cake with Ellone. Maybe Laguna was right. Maybe Squall would grow out of his newfound amusement. For now, she would be happy to have even heard her baby boy's first word.

*

*

"Mom? We're getting hungry; can you make us lunch?" Squall cried out. He was halfway down the stairs holding on to the railing while looking at his mother with a curious eye, "...What are you doing?"

Raine closed the book to "memory lane" then looked up at her son. She stared at him for a while before smiling, "Just…remembering things. Anyways, you said you're getting hungry?"

Squall paused for a moment before nodding, "Yeah. Zell's whining about it too so…"

The mother laughed as she got up, placing the book on the table, "Okay. Well, what would you like?" Squall shrugged, not really caring. Raine thought for a moment, "Hmm. Hot dogs? I heard Zell was very fond of them."

"Yeah; in a weird way," Squall replied incredulously.

"Hmm. Then I'll make hot dogs. That is, of course, you want make to make something that is without bread and processed meat, Squall?" Raine joked, meeting her son halfway up the stairs.

Squall was not amused as rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He turned and began walking up the stairs, missing Raine's loving smile.

Raine followed asking, "Squall? Have I ever told you what you're first word was?" The boy looked at her confused, but shook his head. He continued to gaze at his mother with curiosity on his face. Raine giggled as she placed a hand on his shoulder while they walked, "Well let me tell you a story…"


	6. Fears

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Finally! Another BAMAS one-shot! -cries- I'm really sorry for disappearing off the face of , but I've been having problems in real life. X_x; I won't go into detail because no one needs to hear my life story, but let's just say life is frustrating! -sigh-

So, as per my BAMAS rule, this one-shot is focused in Squall's perspective. :3 I tried writing up on his independency issue, but I'm shaky about whether or not I got it down. Pretty sure I didn't, but this idea was so cute in my head. TT_TT I hope you like it! Can't wait to start working on the next one!

And a quick thank to all my readers and reviewers! Thanks so much for your support guys: _boggieman, Emerald-Latias, Scribbleness, Vedensolina, Verdanii, Redfoxline, Angel Sorano, Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, Adriannu255, _and_ Pokexpress!_

_**Quick Summary: **_He wasn't supposed to rely on anyone anymore, but the storm had other plans for him.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII and its characters.

* * *

**Fears**

He stayed there; lying on his stomach with his face buried between the sides of his tiny fists. With the small lantern as his only light in the dark, Squall remained perfectly still.

_It'll go away soon…_ Squall told himself, listening to the faintest of sounds around him: The whir of electricity, the ticking of the clock, and even the rain drops hitting his bedroom window. But what Squall had not heard, was the sound of light footsteps reaching his sanctuary. He was caught off-guard and flinched when the blanket he had been hiding under was quickly removed away from him.

The small boy turned his eyes towards the intruder to find his mother blinking her eyes at him in confusion. Placing the blanket back on the bed beside her son, Raine asked, "What are you doing, Squall?"

Squall pouted as he turned off his lantern, know it would be unless in the fully lit bedroom, "Nothing…"

"Oh really?" Raine rose an incredulously eyebrow. She didn't ask any further on the subject but instead began a different topic, "Come downstairs. Aren't you lonely up here by yourself?"

"I'm not. And I don't wanna go downstairs," Squall stubbornly replied. He didn't mind being by himself in his room. He had his reasons; which he refused to share with his mother. Squall pulled the blanket towards him and added, "I was playing…"

Raine simply sighed as she made her way towards Squall's bedroom door. Thinking she knew what Squall's problem was, she tried to give a little bit of comfort, "Squall, Ellone will be coming back from her friend's house soon. But with the rainy weather outside, your father and Ellone were probably stuck in traffic."

Squall simply nodded. He figured it would take some time for Ellone and his father to get back home, but Ellone's absence wasn't the reason he was "playing" by himself. The small brunette lifted the blanket up and over his head and hid under the covers once more; not bothering to speak to Raine any further.

He heard Raine sigh again as she stated, "I'll be downstairs if you do get lonely okay, Squall?"

Squall grunted as an answer and hoped Raine would leave. His wish was answered as he heard Raine's footsteps descending the stairs. He let out a sigh of relief knowing his secret was still his own. Although he was already six years of age, he began to feel a swell of independency grow within him. Since starting school just last year, he learned to be incredibly independent. He didn't need guidance from some of his friends or teachers for the simplest of tasks. Even help from his parents wasn't prioritized by him anymore. The little brunette was learning to be less clingy, but—

_CRACK!_

Squall recoiled as he hunched his shoulders and tucked his head as close to his body as possible. He had been expecting the sound of thunder, but his thoughts distracted him from paying close attention. Another crash of thunder and Squall shut his eyes tightly chanting to himself that it would go away eventually. Feeling for the lantern, he turned on the tiny light once more and found solace in the small light. He took a breath of relief when no more thunder could be heard.

Opening his eyes, Squall frowned to himself as he blew a raspberry against his hands. He didn't know when it happened, but Squall just couldn't stand the sound of thunder or the flash of lightning. Out of anything that could've scared him, why did it have to be a childish fear of thunder? Squall didn't want anyone to know about his sudden fear; not even Ellone. Plus, his resolve to remain independent made him too stubborn to ask for help whether he wanted it or not.

He listened for any more noises before finding his stomach was growling. Placing a hand on his stomach, Squall realized he was hungry from all that work of listening for thunder. He pushed himself up with his hands and sat on his folded legs. The blanket no longer covered his entire body, but still forced his bangs into his face. Pulling the blanket off his head and pushing his hair back, Squall sighed.

But it was then he noticed something very wrong in his room. The lights were off, but weren't they on before Raine decided to leave the room?

_She probably turned them off after I got under the covers? _Squall tried to think of a reason. But his mother believed he was playing. What reason would there be to turn off the lights if he was playing? The little boy shrugged. He could always turn the light on himself.

Jumping off the bed, he grabbed his lantern and walked over towards the wall with the light switch. Shining what light he had over the switch, Squall pressed his finger against the simple mechanism and waited for his bedroom to glow a lit. But nothing happened…

He tried flipping the switch once more, but still no bedroom light. Squall bit his bottom lip, "What happened to my light?" Curious, he peeked his head out into the hallway and found it equally as dark as his bedroom. Not even his hallway night-light was shining and it was properly plugged into the wall.

Frowning, Squall decided to investigate. Taking his lantern with him, he walked towards the washroom and tried turning on the light. Nothing happened. He repeated the same tactic in Ellone's room and his parents' room. Still nothing!

"Why aren't the lights working…?" Squall questioned to no one in particular. Before he could think more on the matter, a sudden boom echoed in the hallways. Squall immediately crouched down to his knees and covered his ears, dropping his lantern as a result. He had all but forgotten about the storm outside. Whimpering quietly, Squall forced himself to pick up his lantern and try going downstairs. If he was at least around someone else, he probably wouldn't feel so jumpy.

He made his way to the stairs and began walking down cautiously. Squall's eyes travelled in all directions when he felt he was halfway down the stairs and shone the light down the hallway. He never knew how things looked differently in the dark. So many shadows were cast off because of his lantern. It made Squall feel uncomfortable; and the storm outside wasn't helping his mood either.

_Just get to the living room… Mommy's probably there… _Squall told himself, jumping off the last stair. He hurried off towards the living room, ignoring the scary looking shadows in the hallway. Entering his destination, Squall quickly but calmly called out, "Mommy?"

No answer.

"Mommy where are you?" Squall called out again a little louder. He looked around the room. It wasn't as dark as the hallway or his bedroom, but it was still dim. Light from outside entered from the blinds and into the room, once again casting shadows. Squall stared at the shadows and his mind immediately caused him to see lanky fingers reaching out for him. The little boy jumped a little and looked out the window, flashing his lantern in front of him. He slowed his breathing when he realized it was only the shadows of tree branches he saw.

The dark was playing tricks on him and he didn't like it one bit. Squall did a once over on the room again and still found no signs of Raine. Feeling frustrated and no longer wanting to be alone in the dark, Squall cried out, "Mommy! I don't want to play by myself anymore! Please come out!"

There was no response and Squall let out a huffed breath. Where was she?

Tears were pricking the corners of his eyes, but Squall quickly rubbed them away. He wouldn't cry. Something like this wasn't worth crying over, but Squall had never felt so uncomfortable by himself before. Maybe if he went back to his room and hid under the covers, everything would go back to normal? Besides, he still had to listen for any remaining thunder and prepare himself for the unwanted sound.

"I'm going back to my room…" Squall pouted to himself. He turned around, but he wasn't expecting consecutive flashes of white light out the window. The bright light caught him unaware as he backed away and tripped on the armchair footrest. He let out a yelp and landed with a thud, throwing his lantern into the air. It came crashing to the ground moments later and the bulb blew out. Poor Squall was now completely in the dark with no light to guide him.

His eyes widen in horror, but Squall wasn't able to compose himself as the thunder roared after the flash of lightning. Unable to hold his fears anymore, Squall let out a scream and curled himself, clutching his ears and hiding his face between his knees. The tears escaped him then, "Mommy! I'm scared!"

"Squall!" Raine's voice cried out. Squall heard her footsteps rushing towards him and felt her pulling him into a tight hug, "I'm so sorry! Mommy's here now. Mommy's here!"

The little boy wrapped his tiny arm around Raine's slender neck and cried against her shoulder. He became conscious of how hard it was to maintain a strict independence at his age. He didn't want to be so independent if he couldn't receive comfort during times like this. He listened to Raine murmur soothing words a little longer before he began to calm down. Squall tucked his head against Raine's sweater remembering how warm she was before he decided to become less dependent on others. He didn't know why, but he decided to share his worries with Raine there and then. Somehow, Raine made him feel all safe and secure, "I don't…I don't like the loud noises…"

"Loud noises?" Raine questioned quietly. Pulling Squall away to glance at his face, Raine tilted her head, "You mean the thunder?"

Squall nodded, "And the lightning… And the dark…"

Raine paused as she began to understand Squall's odd behavior from earlier before. Looking him in the eye, she wanted to clarification, "So you're scared of the thunder and lightning? The dark too?"

Squall nodded again, looking down embarrassed. Raine would probably think he was a big scaredy cat now. Maybe he shouldn't have told her…

He felt Raine brushing a hand through his hair and it caused him to look up. From what little the light provided, Squall saw Raine smiling at him wholeheartedly. She hugged him slightly again before pulling away and tapping his nose gently with a finger, "Squall, that's perfectly fine at your age. I don't blame you. The thunder is a rather scary sound at first, isn't it?"

"But… I'm not supposed to be scared of it…" Squall replied in a whisper.

"And why's that?"

"Because I'm a boy."

"Even men are scared of loud noises like that, Squall," Raine reasoned sternly, but gently. She led Squall towards the couch and made him sit down. Kneeling down to look at him, Raine began, "Did you know your father doesn't like loud noises?"

Squall looked surprised, "He doesn't?"

"No! And he's a grown man! I'd tell you the reason why, but… Well, I'll tell you when you get older; you'll understand then. Anyways!" Raine waved a hand before grabbing both of Squall's and gave them a reassuring squeeze, "It's normal for everyone, even for boys your age, to be scared of something no matter how silly it sounds. And Squall, don't forget you can learn to _not _be scared of your fears in time."

"What happens if I can't?" Squall furrowed his eyebrows, "What if I'll always be scared of it?"

Raine thought for a moment before smiling at him, "That's not possible. Do you want to know why? It's because you're my brave little Squall. You're someone who I _know_ can overcome the greatest of challenges. And a silly storm like this won't stop you, Squall. You are a storm all on your own; and you won't be outdone by something as bad weather. That's why I know you'll come over this fear of thunder and lightning."

There was no traces of lie in her eyes; only Raine's sincerest thoughts. Squall slowly made a smile before nodding. He whispered, "I'll…do my best."

"I know you will," Raine replied, wiping the last of Squall's tears.

Squall scanned his mother, now wanting to know what had happened with her, "But where did you go? I thought you would be here when I came downstairs…"

"Oh that," Raine sighed. She rubbed at her temples, "I'm sorry, Squall. It's just that a few minutes ago, the power went out. I went to the basement to fix the problem."

"And is it?" Squall tilted his head.

"I'm afraid not. The circuit breaker isn't responding…" Raine huffed, resting her chin in one of her hands.

_What's a sir-kit breaker? _Squall inwardly asked, but failed to let out verbally. He didn't need nor want to know explicitly. All he knew was that there were no lights or anything electrical working in the house. It was then he thought of something. Tugging at Raine's sleeve, he suggested, "Can't we use candles?"

The young mother stared at him blankly before slapping her forehead, "Oh Hyne! Why didn't I think of that? Good idea, Squall!" He smiled at the praised he received. Raine stood up and giggled, "Stay here, okay? I'll grab some candles from the kitchen. Can you do that, sweetie?"

Squall slowly nodded before Raine left for the kitchen. He took a deep breath and curled his hands with determination. He would try to be brave for his mother. He waited patiently, chanting to himself that the rain and the thunder and the lightning were nothing to be scared of. They were just flashy and loud…like the way his friends could be sometimes…

"I'm back!" Raine called out walking into the room. Squall found her carrying a few tealight candles, a lighter, and a…blanket? She placed the blanket on the couch beside Squall and turned towards the coffee table. She spread the candles out along the table and began lighting them slowly. When she was satisfied, Raine placed her hands on her hips and nodded, "There we go!"

The little boy looked at the blanket in puzzlement, "What do you need the blanket for?"

Raine smirked, "I'll show you." She walked towards Squall and sat down beside him. He wasn't prepared for when Raine suddenly pulled him towards her so he was backed into her chest. She finished her action by wrapping the both of them in the comfort of the wooly blanket.

Squall blushed as he looked up at his Mommy while trying to free himself, "What are you doing!"

"I'm cuddling you," Raine teased, brushing her cheek against the top of Squall's head, "Can't I cuddle you anymore, Squall?"

The smaller brunette looked away as he mumbled, "But it's embarrassing…"

He only heard Raine chuckle as she rubbed her cheek against him once more. Squall had almost missed her whisper, "My little Squall, growing up…"

_Hmm? _Squall raised a questioning eyebrow. He felt Raine tighten her hold around him slightly, but he didn't say anything. Her reaction was weird to him, but Squall thought that maybe it was related to the "fear" thing they were talking about moments ago. Squall piped up, "Mommy, what are you afraid of?"

Squall noticed her blink in surprise and waited for her to answer. Raine smiled sadly at him, "I'm afraid of… a lot of things."

"Like what?" Squall insisted. He had shared his fear with her, so he felt obligated to hear one of hers. But what surprised him the most was the fact she had _any _fears. To him, Raine was his example of "perfectly brave."

Raine rested her head against Squall's and answered, "I'm afraid that you'll go somewhere when I can't reach you."

_What does that mean? _Squall asked inwardly while answering verbally, "But I'm right here."

"I know you are. But I mean…nevermind, sweetie. The point is: What Mommy is scared of is of you growing up too fast. Just…stay as you are for a while longer. Please Squall?"

He didn't completely understand Raine, but nodded all the same. Raine sighed as she hugged him again. Squall never realized how much he meant to Raine, but he thought that it was only normal for her as a mother. To grow up too fast… And to go somewhere she couldn't follow… He still didn't understand it, but what he did know was that Raine had her fears.

As she had for him, Squall would return her kindness by at least trying to ease some of her fears. Touching her arms that went around his chest, Squall offered words of comfort, "Mommy? I'll be brave."

"Hmm?"

"I'll learn to be braver; and stronger too. That way, you can always count on me if you're worried about something. I'll learn to fix it. So…smile like always, okay? I'll protect you."

The older woman chuckled as she nodded with a bright smile, "I know you will, Squall. Thank you."

Squall smiled back at her and soon afterwards they began talking about random things. Squall's schooling, what Raine would cook for tomorrow's dinner, anything that would keep their minds off the lack of light and gloomy weather. Squall felt his bond with his mother renewed in this one moment. And it was welcomed. If his mother could keep smiling like she did right now, he felt as if some of her fears disappeared along with his.

It was still raining outside, but Squall didn't mind it anymore. Even when the thunder and lightning came down, he wasn't as scared because now he had someone to comfort and support him. And his promise to become stronger made him realize that the thunderstorm wasn't so scary. It was merely a "wake up" call to tell him not throw away the opportunity to be close with the people he cared for.

Laguna jiggled the doorknob after unlocking it with the house key. He opened the door and waved Ellone to quickly enter. The storm had subsided some, but the rain still fell down. After entering the safety of their home, Laguna removed his hood and let out a long sigh, "Phew! We finally made it home, Elle!"

Ellone pulled off her jacket as she nodded to her adoptive father, "Uncle Laguna! You're so wet! Raine is gonna be mad!"

The older man laughed off the idea as he too shrugged off his jacket, "That's true, but it isn't my fault it's so wet outside!"

"It is so," Ellone taunted. Laguna ruffled her hair playfully as she laughed, "Hey!"

"Punishment for teasing your poor Uncle!" Laguna smirked. He gestured towards the stairs with his head, "C'mon Elle! Better take a shower so you don't catch a cold!"

Ellone simply nodded. She pulled off her shoes and began running down the hallway towards the stairs. When Laguna heard her footsteps reaching the top, he sighed. Turning towards the panel of light switches, Laguna attempted to turn on the hallway light. He smiled when lights turned on without hesitation. Laguna scratched the back of his head, "Well at least the electricity's working again. I wonder if Raine will be mad that I didn't call her?"

He began walking down the hallway, believing Raine would be in the living room after the power outage. Laguna reasoned with himself that Raine couldn't be mad at him if the power wasn't working. He had tried to call several times that he could be late coming home with Ellone because of the weather, but the phones were out of commission. Shaking his head, Laguna realized Raine wouldn't be _that _mad at him. She was logical. Besides, both him and Ellone were now home safe and sound.

"Raine? You in here?" Laguna called out, realizing that no one had come to greet him and Ellone a welcome back. He entered the living room and was surprised at the sight before him. His surprise slowly melted into loving affection as he smiled.

"Uncle Laguna?" Ellone's voice called from down the hall. The older man turned his attention to his adoptive daughter as she continued, "Squall isn't in his room. Is he with Raine?"

Laguna smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry Elle. Raine and Squall are here. Go take your shower now."

"Okay," Ellone nodded as she ran back up the stairs.

Laguna turned his attention back to the two occupants in the room. Raine and Squall were both soundly sleeping on the couch. Raine had the side of her head resting against the arm cushion of the couch while Squall was curled up perfectly beside her. The young mother had one arm around her son's back and used the other to have a gentle hand rest on top of his crown. The blanket was mostly on the floor by now, but the scene was still serene.

"And here I was thinking you two wouldn't be so close anymore. But… I'm glad I was wrong," Laguna sighed contently as he made his way to his wife and child, covering them up with the blanket again. Kissing the both of them, Laguna whispered, "Sweet dreams you two..."


	7. A Gift for Mother's Day

**A/N: **Hey! An update with this series. Oh my god! No way! D: LOL *sniffles* I missed this so much. TT_TT

I thought this would be appropriate to write since it's Mother's Day and since I absolutely love my Squall and Raine mother-son interaction, I just _had _to write for this series again! Although, I'm quite rusty when it comes to Squall and Raine. O.o Back to practice! Oh, and I know I promised a friend a different one-shot, but I'll try working on a Squall one so I can finally hit that Raine chapter. XD

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

And of course I can't forget my lovely readers. It may have been ages since I've updated this, but thanking readers and reviewers must never be forgot! Thank you to _Niqsta, BelleOfTheBoulevard, Adriannu255, missiongirl87, an anonymous reviewer, Pokexpress, Scribbleness, Azurelle, _and _Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly _for reviewing! Thanks so much to everyone who's read the series and for your continued support! :)

_**Quick Summary: **_Sometimes the simplest of gestures have meanings that are worth treasuring in years to come.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. Just this shameless series I continue to blab about. :D

* * *

**A Gift for Mother's Day**

Raine hummed her favorite tune as she quickly and precisely cut the carrots in slices. Beef stew was today's dinner since Laguna requested it. She didn't mind; it was actually quite easy to cook and Raine really didn't feel like cooking anything extravagant.

She was stuck at home today with Squall while Laguna and Ellone went out to do a little exploring in town. For what, Raine wasn't sure, but she would ask about it when they got home. She was sure Squall had wanted to go with them seeing as how Zell couldn't come over to play today, but instead he wanted to stay home. Maybe he was doing homework or studying… His grades _were _slipping a little and it worried her…

Suddenly she heard a crash from upstairs and she almost sliced her index finger with the knife. Raine sighed at the close call before looking up at the ceiling. The noise came from the room above the kitchen and it just so happened that her beloved boy's room was above the kitchen. Putting down the knife and wiping her hands on a clean dishcloth, Raine exited the kitchen and stopped at the foot of the stairs, calling out, "Squall? What are you doing?"

She wasn't met with a verbally response. Instead, more crashing sounds could be heard before Squall finally groaned from his room. What in the world was he doing? Unable to keep her curiosity at bay, Raine began to climb the stairs. She was half-worried, half-expecting Squall to be buried under something. With that kind of noise, what else could it be?

Walking to the room second from the left, Raine saw that Squall left his door open. She peeked inside and her eyes immediately widened, "Squall!"

There, on the far right of the room was her son…buried underneath a mix of clothes, toys, and boxes with his head sticking out at the bottom of the pile. Apparently he was dazed from the mountain of items on top of him otherwise he would've noticed her coming in.

"Oh my Hyne!" Raine immediately ran up and knelt down to slowly pull Squall from out of the pile. Once he was freed, Raine had him leaning against her chest and she unconsciously began to smooth out his hair, "Squall, what in the world are you doing? …And where did all that stuff come from?"

Squall took a moment to snap out of his daze, shaking his head and looking up at her as he pulled away and sat on his knees. He rubbed his forehead and answered, "I was looking for something…"

"Really?" Raine raised a questioning brow, looking at the pile of stuff flooding out of his closet, "And what, pray tell, could it be that you would let a monster out of your closet?"

The little brunette couldn't help but stiffen at the word "monster," obviously not realizing that it was a figure of speech, but he quickly composed himself, looking as serious as he could, "It's a secret. You're not supposed to know yet."

She was taken aback. Raine _wasn't _suppose to know? …Yet? Honestly, what ran through the mind of a seven-year-old was beyond her. Raine blinked, repeating, "I'm not suppose to know? Did I hear you right?"

"Y-Yeah," Squall slowly flinched, thinking he was going to get in trouble. He looked at the carpet, rubbing his forehead again with the bony part of his wrist, "It's a surprise…"

_Oh, I see._

It was rare whenever Squall decided to surprise anyone. Then again there was complete irony in that statement since Squall seemed to surprise Raine every day whether his actions were big or small. The flood of things coming out of his closet certainly surprised her.

Smiling sincerely at him, Raine lifted his chin so he was looking at her. Squall watched her with big blue eyes and she couldn't help but tap his nose with a giggle, "I'm not mad, Squall. In fact, I'm curious about this…surprise you have in store for me."

The boy slowly let a smile cross his face and Raine refrained from cuddling him like a clingy parent… That was Laguna's department unfortunately. Squall slightly exclaimed, curling his hands into fists in determination, "You'll like it then. Just be patient."

"Alright, sweetie," Raine giggled, loving stroking Squall's hair, "I'm sure I'll _love _it."

Squall happily chuckled, rubbing at his forehead again.

Raine, noticing that he had done that three times already, asked, "Squall, is there something wrong with your forehead?"

"No," Squall replied, shaking his head, "It's just really itchy."

She pushed away his hand so she could examine his forehead more thoroughly. Brushing away some of his bangs, Raine saw a very small scratch running down the right side of his forehead to the middle of his eyebrows. It was small, but with Squall rubbing at it, he was irritating the wound and making it bigger. She assumed he acquired the scratch when all of his objects caused an avalanche on top of him.

Raine couldn't help but scold, "Squall you need to be careful! Now look, you got hurt. Don't rub at it!"

"But Mom—"

"No 'buts,' young man," Raine stood up, pulling Squall to his feet as well. She held his wrist and led him to the bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet as Squall stood behind her, shifting from foot to foot and playing with the hem of his shirt. Raine searched the medicine cabinet quickly and pulled out sterilizing material for Squall's wound and a bandage. She turned around to face him, reprimanding again, "Squall!"

Squall froze, having been caught scratching at his forehead. He quickly had his hands by his sides and looked at the floor, "…It's _really _itchy…"

The mother rolled her eyes and sighed, putting her first aid items down on the bathroom's small counter before lifting Squall's head again so she could examine the damage. Great. It was starting to bleed a little. Could Squall not feel pain? Well she didn't want him feeling _any _kind of pain, but a little flinch here or there would help her gauge his reaction to something hurtful.

"Come on," Raine lightly pushed his back, asking him to sit on the lid of the toilet bowl, "Sit down."

"Do I have to?" Squall asked, uncomfortable with the entire thing.

"If you want me to leave you alone, then yes," Raine sarcastically replied.

He muttered under his breath before doing what he was told. Squall sat on top of the toilet with a pout. Unconsciously, he raised his hand to scratch his forehead again but stopped when Raine shot him a warning look. Ever so slowly, his hand was on his lap and he blushed.

_Good boy, _Raine smirked, wetting a cotton ball with cold water before gently wiping the little drops of blood from Squall's scratch. Squall closed his eyes and flinched a little. So he was still human. Good. Raine wouldn't know what to do with a son who _couldn't _feel pain.

Throwing away the dirtied cotton ball, she then opened the bottle of sterilizing alcohol. Raine tilted the bottle a little so some of the liquid soaked into a clean cotton ball she held with plastic tweezers. Turning back to Squall, she braced him, "Alright, Squall. This might sting a little…"

He blinked at her, but when the wet cotton ball made contact with his wound, Squall immediately pulled away and winced, "Ow!"

"Oh grow up. I warned you," Raine responded, somehow reliving a nostalgic feeling. At least one thing was confirmed, Squall was _definitely _Laguna's son. She took his chin firmly in her hands to stop Squall from lurching away again.

She applied more of the cotton ball against his skin to sterilize the affected area, ignoring Squall's quiet murmurs for the moment. When she finished, Raine gently blew against his forehead to ease away some of the pain caused by the alcohol. She knew sterilizing alcohol stung against a wound, but the poor kid had a wound on his forehead. It must've hurt somewhat.

Squall quieted down and Raine finished off her treatment by placing a peach colored bandage to his cut. It ran in the same direction as his scratch: from the right of his forehead to the middle of his eyebrows. Raine smiled at him, "There you go. All done!"

Squall reached up to touch the bandage, feeling its semi-rough texture. He then turned his attention to her, "I can't scratch it?"

"No scratching, Squall," she confirmed, putting away the first aid items in the medicine cabinet. Smiling in satisfaction, Raine placed hands on her hips and turned to her son, "Squall, go clean up your room now. How come you have all that stuff anyways?"

"I didn't know where else to put it so I stuffed them in the closet," he answered without feeling guilty.

"Squall, I don't want you hoarding everything; especially with a mess like that. Clean it up properly," Raine frowned in disapproval. Squall looked down at his feet and Raine knew what he was thinking: he didn't want to clean up the mess. Rolling her eyes, she ruffled his hair, "Alright, I'll help you clean up okay?"

He looked at her, trying to search for a lie, but found none. Squall nodded, "Okay."

Giggling, she walked with him towards his room and they began clean up the mess. Raine properly stacked the boxes and Squall grabbed whatever toys he could and placed them in his toy chest at the foot of his bed. Some of the clothes that were left Raine decided to clean. She didn't want to admit it, but some of Squall's clothes look like they haven't been cleaned…in the longest time… It took about half an hour for them to finish, but soon enough, Squall's closet was organized and things couldn't possible collapse on him the next time he opened the closet door.

"There! Now don't you like it when everything is nice and organized?" Raine rhetorically asked.

Squall simply nodded up at her and smiled. She couldn't restrain herself so she bent down and kissed his forehead. Squall squirmed a little but endured the little affection albeit with a small pout. Raine giggled.

He was growing up. How cute.

"Alright. I'll leave you alone to find what it was you were looking for," Raine smiled, giving Squall's hair one last ruffle.

She turned to leave when Squall called out, "Mom?"

"Hmm?" she turned around just in time to catch Squall tackling into her and hugging her waist tightly. She blinked at his sudden show of affection as he buried his face against her stomach.

He looked up at her, faintly blushing, "Thank you…"

Raine blinked again before laughing. She stroked his hair, joking, "Rubbing your face against me counts as scratching you know?"

Squall ignored her and buried his face against her one last time before pulling away. For that, she once again kissed his forehead, but this time Squall didn't seem to mind. Raine cupped his cheek in a motherly way before finally leaving him alone.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

She was just about done cooking when Raine heard the front door opening and closing.

"We're home!" Laguna announced.

Shoe scuffles were heard before footsteps made their way to the kitchen. Ellone appeared, smiling and holding a card in her hand. She immediately went up and hugged Raine, "Hi Raine! Happy Mother's Day!"

"Mother's Day?" Raine repeated in surprise.

"Yeah!" Laguna appeared, holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands with a cheery grin, "Don't tell me you forgot? It's Mother's Day!"

Raine simply blinked. When she thought about it, it _was _the second Sunday of May. It must've slipped her mind. Oh! That explained Squall wanting to "surprise" her too didn't it? He wanted to surprise her for Mother's Day.

Connecting the dots, Raine smiled happily and returned Ellone's hug, "Thank you, sweetheart!"

Ellone giggled, showing her card, "Here! I bought it with my own allowance!"

"Wow! Impressive," Raine laughed, taking the card and reading it. Inside was a typical quote on how special a mother was and the picture on the front of the card was decorated with a mother chocobo nuzzling its head against two of its chicks. The mother smiled again, "Thank you, Ellone. I love it!"

"You're welcome, Raine!" Ellone felt proud of her present.

Laguna then walked up next to Raine and quickly kissed her, "Happy Mother's Day!"

"Laguna, these roses are beautiful!" Raine exclaimed, holding and smelling one of the roses. She smiled at him, "I love them. Thank you."

"Yeah… They aren't lilies, but I tried," Laguna shrugged with a chuckle. He rubbed his chin and thought, "I was planning on taking you out today to celebrate, but you ended up cooking…"

Raine went to look for a vase to put the roses in before turning to look at Laguna with an incredulous expression, "…It seems I wasn't the _only _one who forgot today was Mother's Day."

"Well…" Laguna nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head. Raine smirked in victory, continuing her search for a vase.

"Squall!" Ellone exclaimed.

Raine looked over her shoulder after finally finding a home for her roses to see Squall hiding behind the corner of the wall. Ellone walked up to him and they started whispering. Squall started to shake his head vehemently when Ellone said something, but his big sister wouldn't let him back out. She held his hand and practically dragged him into the kitchen. Ellone smiled up at Raine while Squall's eyes remained on the floor.

"What'cha got there, kiddo?" Laguna grinned, crossing his arms and watching his son.

Squall's blush only deepened and he looked away, muttering, "None of your business…"

_Probably his 'surprise,' _Raine couldn't help but smile. She knelt down in front of her son and tilted her head, "Do you have something for me too, Squall?"

He shyly looked up at her and nodded once before staring at the ground again.

She sighed. Sometimes he needed a lot more convincing, "May I ask what it is?"

Again, he looked at her shyly and turned away, "It's stupid…"

"Now I don't think that," Raine gently replied with an encouraging smile, "Didn't you say I would like it?"

Squall stared at her for a moment before finally giving up. He held his hands behind his back and soon enough, he pulled out a small, blue rose-shaped tissue paper. The bloom and stem were all there, neatly done that it almost looked real had it not been for the fact that the blue rose had a few wrinkles here in there. To say the least Raine was surprised; she never expected Squall to take part in arts and crafts.

"Selphie taught me how to make roses out of tissue paper, but it was harder to do than I thought…" he explained with a blush, "I wanted to make a whole bunch, but I only managed to do one right…"

Raine's smile only grew softer. He put so much effort into his gift, so what if he only came out with one? Squall put his heart into this little activity and it was already quite special to Raine. She took the paper rose in hand and hugged Squall, "To tell you the truth, this is better than having a bouquet of blue roses. Thank you, Squall."

"Really?" he was surprised.

"Yes," Raine giggled, kissing his cheek, "I love it very much. These are the best presents I've ever received!"

Squall smiled a little and nodded.

Happy, Raine stood up and placed the blue rose in the center of the vase full of red roses that Laguna gave her. To top it off, she found a spot among the flowers for Ellone's card as a decoration. _Now_ her gift was complete!

Turning to her family she smiled, "Thank you so much everyone!"

Ellone and Squall smiled up at her while Laguna grinned, "Anything for you, Raine!"

Raine giggled and started, "Alright. Now then, who's hungry?"

"I am!" Ellone and Squall called out in unison.

Suddenly Laguna asked out of the blue, "What's up with the bandage? Did you hurt yourself?"

"The entirety of his closet fell on top of him," Raine explained after realizing Laguna was talking to Squall.

"What?" Laguna looked at her in shock before looking at Squall. The boy simply froze in place, instinctively starting to back away. He was too late as Laguna quickly scooped him up in his arms and cuddled him, "No! I can't believe you got hurt! Poor Squall!"

"Let go, Dad!" Squall tried pushing the man off. For some reason, Squall was becoming detached to Laguna's affections; quite the opposite of how Ellone grew up with Laguna's love.

Ellone couldn't help but laugh and Raine rolled her eyes. Today just turned into another typical evening with her family.

…And she wouldn't trade it for the world.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

**…Nine Years Later…**

"Didn't I tell you not to scratch at your scar? You'll only irritate it," Raine warned as she wandered the market street with Squall in tow.

Her son merely rolled his eyes, picking at the bandage running diagonally across the bridge of his nose, "It's not my fault. The bandage is itchy. Can't I just take it off?"

"No. There's a reason it's on your face: so your scar doesn't get infected," she scolded with facts, picking through the apples in a fruit vendor's cart, "But you know you could've avoided ever getting such a thing if you—"

"It was Seifer's fault. Not mine," was Squall's immediately response as he frowned at her.

Raine shook her head in disbelief. It was always the same answer with him, but was done was done. Now Squall had to live with a permanent mar against his skin. She wasn't happy about it, but it couldn't be helped, "Whatever."

Squall remained silent as he simply carried a plastic bag full of groceries in one hand. He piped up after a while, "Oh yeah. Dad says you don't have to cook today."

"Why not?" Raine questioned with a furrow of her eyebrows.

"He says he wants to cook for you," Squall answered, mumbling under his breath in a whisper, "Of course, I think even cooking escapes him…"

_Hmm… _Raine thought. She wondered what the occasion was for Laguna to want to try cooking again. She shrugged, _Oh well._

They continued walking down the market street and bought more groceries, but once they were done, Raine suggested they head home. Squall agreed, not really up to walking through the streets anymore; with his mother no doubt.

The joys of Squall growing up. How cute.

Raine started humming her favorite song as she walked beside her son before his voice pulled her to a stop, "Mom?"

"Yes?" she turned to look at him, finding a blue, rose-shaped paper staring back at her. Raine blinked in surprise and looked at Squall.

He looked at her with his ever serious face, but Squall showed a small hint of a smile, "Happy Mother's Day."

Slowly, Raine began to smile and giggled, taking the paper blossom in hand. Of course; that was what today was: Mother's Day. She gave her son a short hug, "Thank you, Squall. How many is that now?"

Her son hummed, adjusting his hold on the groceries before replying, "Nine."

"I see…" Raine twirled the blue rose in hand. So many memories…

"Yeah," Squall nodded, walking forward again, "Three more and you'll finally have a bouquet."

"A dozen blue roses…" Raine smiled, walking beside her son again. She couldn't help but ruffle his hair despite the fact that he was now taller than her, "I can't wait for next year for the tenth rose, Squall."

"…Whatever."

Raine laughed.

Just a simple gift turned into a tradition for them. It was something Raine looked forward to every year. A single, blue paper rose was what Squall gave her every Mother's Day for nine consecutive years. With each flower made, Raine collected as they were Squall's way of showing how much he adored her. Such an act of love brought joy to her heart. In three more years, Raine would finally have that bouquet of blue roses Squall promised her years ago. But she hoped he would continue to give her blue roses regardless.

Raine wanted her collection to grow indefinitely.


End file.
